By
JAMES LARAKI
ANY hopes for women representation in the forthcoming parliament
were shattered last week when the government failed to muster the required
votes to pass the bill on the special reserved seats.
It was a moment of
disappointment for women leaders and supporters who have been pushing for this bill.
More disappointing was not only the outcome of vote but the conduct of
many MPs who decided to walk out when the bill was being introduced.
While politicians may have their own reasons, we are of the view that
such behaviour against women is not only on the political front but a clear indication
of what could be happening to all fronts of development.
What is missing here is that we fail to understand that men and
women are equal partners in development.
This simple truth continues to be ignored.
This scenario is also holds true for the agriculture sector, even
though women have and continue to play an important role in the sector.
In our rural areas, women contribute
a significant portion of the total labour requirements for agriculture related
activities.
Yet women face unnecessary restrictions on their ability to buy, sell or inherit
land; open a savings account; borrow money; or sell their crops at markets.
Their ability to produce
food is further hampered by a lack of access to basics requirements such as
fertilisers, transport, extension services, to name a few.
We may argue that in our culture, men are head of everything and
women only contribute, especially to labour.
No, this should not longer be the case and we need to move away from
this mindset.
We should ask ourselves what would be the case if women enjoyed the
same access to productive resources as men.
Studies have indicated that if given the same access, women could
boost yield by 20 -30% and contribute to the overall agricultural output by 2.5
– 4%.
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the UN noted that
this gain in production could reduce the number of hungry people in the world
by 12-17%, besides improving women’s wellbeing and income.
As farmers, agricultural workers and entrepreneurs, women form the
backbone of our rural economy and yet, together with children, they remain one
of the most vulnerable groups.
Limited access to education and other vital services is having an
adverse impact on the lives of women, especially in rural areas and settlements.
Growing pressure on land, urban migration and stresses associated
with climate change are already proving to be unfavourable to women in
agriculture.
They are denied from take advantage of opportunities from new
technologies and markets.
This is happening despite many policies have recognised women as
equal partners in development.
It is already a concern that
gender issues are not receiving the attention they deserve and the current
situation has to urgently change.
We need to address gender related issues to achieve more sustainable
and broad-based agricultural growth.
We are not alone here as it is a global concern and efforts are
already being made to address the issue.
International organisations such as FAO, Global Forum on
Agricultural Research, Consultative Group on International Agricultural
Research, and many National Agricultural Research Systems are already taking
initiatives to overcome the existing gaps and to face the emerging challenges
of sustainable development and livelihood of resource poor smallholder farmers,
especially women.
It is, therefore, timely for us to see the initiatives undertaken elsewhere
and use any useful evidence to refocus our own policies, institutions and
programs to empower women.
With sweeping changes in agriculture and other sectors, gender
issues are becoming more important and dynamic, thus it necessary to for us to understand
these issues and explore options available to enhance the capability of women who
play a vital role in agriculture.
It is time for us to work together to close the gender gap and have
in place workable policies and reforms to empower women in the country to
improve agricultural productivity and nutrition, and reduce hunger and poverty.
We must note that our effort to achieving these is unlikely without
women.
We need to do what is necessary to ensure women are empowered to
play their roles in development.
There is a need to change our mindset, and accept the fact that
women are important partners.
We have to learn to work together with women and value their
contributions in development.
We cannot continue to ignore and walk away from these issues, as was
the case in parliament last week.
Their actions are unacceptable and set a bad precedence.
We hope their conduct was in
line with their political reasoning and convenience, and not an act against our
efforts to empowering women.
It is now becoming necessary for all of us; policy-makers,
development professionals, and the civil society to understand the role of women
in development and see how we all can work together.
We need to assess the role of women and efforts should be made to redesign
policies and reforms that would empower women in the country.
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