WUNRN
RIGHT TO FOOD - GLOBAL STRATEGIC
FRAMEWORK - WOMEN/GENDER
Direct Link to Full 40-Page 2013
Text:
3.5.2
Gender as It
Stands in the Global Strategic Framework for Food Security & Nutrition -
GSF
The GSF states that the “participation
of women as key actors in agriculture must be assured, considering their
potential contribution to the production of the food consumed in developing
countries, while ending the discrimination they experience in being denied
access to productive assets, knowledge through extension services, and financial
services, which results in reduced productivity and greater poverty.”
The document also acknowledges the
need to “prevent the intergenerational transmission of
hunger and malnutrition, including
through education and promotion of literacy among women and girls.” Moreover,
particular attention is given to addressing the nutritional needs of women and
girls and also to the relevant international legal frameworks for the
achievement of women’s food security.
The document also refers to the CFS 37
final report for specific policy recommendations, including recognition of
women as key food producers, calling for the promotion of their leadership and
involvement in decision-making processes, as well as for equal access to
productive resources and inheritance, protection from violence and
discrimination, maternity/paternity legislation, gender analysis of food
security policies and the promotion of girls’ rights
3.5.3
How can
women’s movements make use of the GSF?
Interview with Sarojeni
Rengam, PANAP
Why is
having a reference to women’s rights in the GSF significant?
Women are
vital to food production and deeply involved in agriculture over the world -
their participation is therefore critical. In most countries and cultures,
women as farmers and workers are marginalized; whilst this is changing in
rhetoric, implementation is the place where reality will come into play, in
terms of women’s participation in decision making.
The GSF is
significant because it recognizes women’s central role and the importance of
involving them in decision making. In many countries they are the main group
involved in providing and growing food –more so indeed than their male
counterparts – and yet they are often invisible.
How can
this support women’s struggle?
It is very
important to ensure that the GSF is implemented on the ground. There should be
a way to move this forward in terms of mechanisms for monitoring and feedback
to ensure that it is being implemented at national and local levels, and that
there’s progress and a process towards implementation.
The GSF is
also important in that it provides awareness about the fact that part of the
struggle is not only to ensure that women’s roles and contributions in
agriculture are acknowledged, but to also ensure that they are involved in
decision-making processes. Also of significance in the GSF is that there is
support for women’s participation, and for building awareness and leadership of
women and by women in these areas.
It is not only
the responsibility of national governments: local institutions and alternative
social movements also have a key role to play.
Oftentimes,
even many of these alternative movements are still very male dominated.
Moreover, most communities, CSOs and movements feel that radical changes in
terms of women’s empowerment should not be pushed for, arguing instead that it
makes more sense to wait, and once the right to food and rights to land have
been secured, the struggle for women’s rights and their participation can be
addressed, as a second priority. However, in reality, women’s rights should go
hand in hand with the right to food and the right to land, since women’s rights
are, of course, human rights.
If 50% (and
the figure rises to 80% in some places) of the group responsible for producing
food is not involved in policy decisions pertaining to food, agriculture and
nutrition, the discrimination of women and their human rights becomes evident.
It is highly important that the struggle for the right to food, the right to
land and the right to productive resources go hand in hand with gender equity
and equality, and with mainstreaming gender overall, by providing women the
space and the opportunity to facilitate their decision making and leadership
capacity within different sectors of society.