Women in Agriculture PDF

Unit 5 Topic 12 Women in Agriculture Learning Objective: Explain geographic variations in female roles in food production and consumption. 2 Essential Knowledge: The role of females in food production, distribution, and consumption varies in many places depending on t...

Unit 5 Topic 12 Women in Agriculture Learning Objective: Explain geographic variations in female roles in food production and consumption. 2 Essential Knowledge: The role of females in food production, distribution, and consumption varies in many places depending on the type of production involved 3  Women’s Roles During Each Revolution ▪ Women’s roles during each revolution: ▫ Roles during First Agricultural Revolution ▸ Women were instrumental in the domestication of plants as they were the ones collecting plant resources → once permanent settlement happened and people became farmers → women farm more along with men, tend household less ▫ Roles changed with the Industrial Revolution that occurred in the 18th century ▸ Shift in women's role - managed dairy farms and gardening → Second Agricultural Revolution hit (mechanization & industrialization) →women lost job of churning milk to butter in house to factory production by men → move with their husbands and families to urban centers to work in factories → women managed household ▫ Roles changed again after the Green Revolution ▸ Shift in women’s role- managed household after 2nd Agricultural Revolution → Green Revolution (more tech advancements) → women become more specialized on farms like financial accountants in MDC’s while in LDCs women still face inequality and can’t take advantage of tech advancements and become more marginalized 4  Gender Equality & Agriculture ▪ Gender inequality: unequal opportunities, treatment, or rights of a person based on gender; lacking progress in developing countries ▫ Affects: ▸ Education and leadership opportunities, reproductive rights, employment options, & property ownership → given to males, while women are often excluded ▪ Gender-specific obstacles for Women primarily in periphery countries: ▫ Denied access to finance and capital for inputs (fertilizers, machinery) → can’t increase agricultural productivity ▫ Denied training and education for improved practices ▫ Denied property ownership ▫ Limited mobility; hard to go to market to sell food because they need a man’s permission ▫ Lack political power; development plans made without any women input Lack of gender equality= crop gap of 20 to 30% between male and female-run farms; this increased food insecurity. The Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that if gender equality existed, the crop gap would disappear & female-run farms could exceed that of male-run farms = economic growth & increased food supply. 5  Gender Roles in the Food System: Food Production Women have played a major role in agriculture since humans started farming. Today they make up 40% of the world’s agricultural labor force. In regions where subsistence farming is practiced they make up 70%, usually as non-wage (unpaid) workers on small family-run farms in less developed countries with large rural populations (such as Sub-Saharan Africa). ▪ In many areas of LDC’s, men migrate to urban areas in search of employment, while women stay at home and work their farms along with children. Women sell surplus products at local markets ▪ In LDCs where farming has been modernized and machines have been introduced, women have become LESS involved with the field work. ▪ In MDCs, with large-scale agribusiness, women have taken on additional roles. Besides raising crops, tending animals, and processing products, they work in management, sales, distribution, and research. 6 Gender Roles in the Food System: Food Consumption Women= major role in prep and consumption of food. These roles have changed very little over time. In many LDC’s, women harvest crops, feed and tend livestock, and are responsible for milking livestock, making butter and cheese, as well as preparing and storing food for their families consumption. Where farming has been modernized and mechanized, women have become responsible for marketing any surplus and managing any income received from sales. Rural→ urban migration= they grow less food and purchase more of it. Today, more women work outside of home = spend less time prepping food than previously People purchase more convenience foods than previously, from cake mixed to entire meals that simply need to be heated. In addition, men have become more involved in food preparation in the regions of the world with greater gender equality, particularly in households where both partners are working. Another result is that people eat in restaurants more than ever before. In 2015, for the first time in history, Americans spent more money eating out than they spent on groceries. 7