Gender, ICTs and Rural Livelihoods

This section is dedicated to the critical role of women in agriculture, and the positive benefits that ICTs can have in the livelihoods of rural women.

For ICTs to benefit women in agricultural production and to challenge existing gender imbalances in rural livelihoods, it is necessary to understand women’s status and the gender roles and responsibilities in the society. It is also important to have an understanding of the multiple gender dimensions which impact on accessing and using ICTs. Rural women are less likely to prioritize ICTs in their daily lives as they have less time and less comfort in using ICT based services.

If gender is missed in rural ICT4D initiatives then an opportunity to improve the socio-economic conditions of women, who are the largest and most active component of the rural population, is missed. Government support and promotion of rural infrastructure and equal access to and use of ICTs among women and men is critical. Policy makers need to include a gender lens on every policy that affects access to and use of ICTs in rural communities.

Through this section, you can locate materials which look at key opportunities and challenges of ICT interventions in the agricultural value chain with a special focus on the most beneficial interventions in rural areas.

 PUBLICATIONS

 BLOGS

 RESOURCES

  • International Women's Day 2011: Resources
  • Various resources as interviews, reports, booklets, articles, country profiles, and more, have been added to the e-Agriculture Knowledge Base under the topics "gender" and "women".
  • Bookmarks of various websites with resources on ICTs for gender and rural development can be found through the tag 'gender' on the e-Agriculture Delicious account.
  • FAO-Belgium Partnership Programme Knowledge Management and Gender Programme

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Latest posts on this topic

e-Agriculture
13/02/2012

Recognizing the important role women all over the developing world have is not an easy job. In agriculture, their role has always been considered secondary when comparing to men. However, most people living in poor areas rely mainly in agriculture, and most of the labor is provided by women....

 
e-Agriculture
11/02/2012

"Although much still needs to be done, the seeds of curiosity for innovations in the ICT field have been sown. Rural women, novices in the ICT field, are now becoming fully aware of the power of these tools to dramatically change socio-economic relations, open new opportunities and expand...

 
14/12/2011

Gendering of Technology or the technology of gendering? - Reconsidering access to and use of ICTs – a Ugandan ethnography Spider welcomes you to its first seminar on ICT4D on December 19th 16.00-18.00 in room C at Forum, Isafjordsgatan 39 in Kista. The seminar can be viewed live at...

 
13/12/2011

This booklet below contains an ExecutiveSummary of the USAID-supported report "Gender, Information Technology,and Developing Countries: An Analytic Study." Prepared by AED/LearnLink, the full text can be downloaded from http://learnlink.aed.org/Publications/Gender_Book/Home.htm...

 
06/12/2011

A new three-year partnership between U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Australian Agency for International Development (AudAID), the GSMA and Visa Inc. will help to increase mobile phone ownership among women in developing countries. The “GSMA mWomen Programme Global...

 
e-Agriculture
03/12/2011

Exploring some of the challenges faced when implementing projects aimed at empowering women in ICTs in relation to rural livelihoods. Sponsored by GenARDIS. This Policy Brief is based on the input of e-Agriculture Community members who participated in the online forum held from 5 to 16 July, 2010 (...

 
25/11/2011

In a post on 14 October 2011, Benjamin Kwasi Addom discusses the potention impact of better access to ICTs on the lives of rural women. (15 October 2011 marked the fourth annual International Day of Rural Women.) He cites interesting statistics, including: Women in Africa produce nearly 90%...

 
27/09/2011

By: Appolinaire Tagne Agriculture is the back bone of the economy of many developing countries, and these activities have a direct impact on their Gross National Product (GNP); with the distribution of roles in society in the western region of Cameroon, women are highly involved in the production...

 
21/09/2011

FAO AT WORK 2010-2011 "Many of the world’s poorest countries and regions will see their populations double in the years from 2000 to 2050, with Africa, for example, climbing from 820 million to two billion. Men and women farmers in Africa and other developing nations will therefore need...

 
08/09/2011

Gender and Foreign gn Assistance: The Key to Effective Development Case Studies by Sector "Too often, gender is equated with women, but in fact, gender is about people - both women and men. Gender analysis is a tool that looks at the different roles, rights, responsibilities and resources of...

 
30/08/2011

Source: Microfinance Focus The World Bank has recently published a video on its eRwanda Project, an Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) program in Rwanda and its impact on rural women and agriculture. Dr. Jeanne D'Arc Mujawamariya, Rwandan minister of Gender...

 
24/08/2011

The Collective of Women from Mali (COFEM), in collaboration with “Women Entrepreneurs” has organized the training workshop on ICTs for women entrepreneurs. The COFEM objective is to establish equity for everyone (men and women) and promote Malian women's use of ICT. Training includes...

 
01/08/2011

This two-part series released by Mobile Active in May 2011 looks at the benefits and potential dangers that mobiles bring to women in the developing world. Examples and context includes women in rural communities, and women with agricultural or agriculture-related livelihoods. Part One of the...

 
15/07/2011

"Looking at ICTs and entrepreneurship in agriculture and rural development through the eyes of women and the youth". CTA and the NEPAD Agency are searching for enthusiastic African young (writers, journalists and other youth), who want to demonstrate their abilities by examining these...

 
23/06/2011

Farmers in the area around Tominian in Mali use cell phones and radio adverts to sell non-timber products from local trees, and supplement their income from agriculture. Source: ICTUpdate. By: Tony Hill "Tree Aid has been working with a local NGO, Sahel Eco, since 2005. The two organisations...

 
21/06/2011

Maureen Agena shares her experiences from her recent assignment in support of the development of a gender responsive National Land Policy, facilitating women’s economic empowerment and rural employment for women, men and youth in Uganda; under the FAO project OSRO/UGA/004/UNJ "...

 
20/06/2011

Women and youth's socio-economic empowerment.  Experiences from an ICT activist in Uganda I am an ICT for Development practitioner who is actively engaged in promoting the issues of women and youth socio-economic empowerment through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs...

 
16/06/2011

Source: Becky Blab's Blog This blog post provides "a snapshot of the 'm4d' situation in India, and point you to further resources should you want to find out more about the exciting potential of mobile for development"; for instance, among some initiatives in mobile agriculture...

 
12/06/2011

L’avenir de l’agriculture se joue aujourd’hui ! De l’importance de lier la jeunesse et les TIC pour assurer l’innovation agricole Par Garcia Mavinga et Chrispine Ogolla Il est commun de dire que « les enfants sont notre avenir ». L’...

 
16/05/2011

The annual WSIS Forum (World Summit on the Information Society follow-up Forum) is in full swing this week. Taking place in Geneva, the Forum covers everything from universal access to e-education to computer waste. There are many topics of interest to the e-Agriculture Community, including...

 
11/04/2011

  Authors: Rasheed Sulaiman V, N. J Kalaivani, Nimisha Mittal and P Ramsundaram   Source: CRISP Working Paper, March 2011-001 Centre for Research on Innovation and Science Policy (CRISP), a non-profit research organization established in March 2004. The aim of the...

 
11/04/2011

The Gender Evaluation Method (GEM) is an analytical tool used to assess if and how Information and Communications Technology (ICT) programmes contribute to women’s empowerment and gender equality. GEM also contains practical exercises to assist in carrying out these evaluations, including the...

 
16/03/2011

"During the first training, I challenged the participants, urging them to reduce their clothing expenses (clothes and other luxury trimmings) in favour of investing in computer equipment and training:  training prepares you for a lifetime, but clothes only last for one event. One woman...

 
10/03/2011

 Paper:  "The Role of Rural Women in Natural Resource Management in Kenya"  By: Volunteers for Africa This paper looks at the vital role that rural women in Kenya have as the 'invisible' managers of natural resources. Sustainable development and conservation of natural...

 
08/03/2011

The 2010 annual report "Because I am a girl- Digital and Urban Frontiers: Girls in a Changing Landscape"  Author: Plan File size: 6.9 mb Number of pages: 199 Published: 2010 Summary: "Focusing on two of the 21st century's fastest growing areas - the boom in city...

 
IWD
07/03/2011

e-Agriculture celebrates International Women's Day, the critical role of women in agriculture, and the positive benefits ICTs can have in the livelihoods of rural women. For ICTs to benefit women in agricultural production and in rural livelihoods, it is necessary to understand women’s status...

 
07/03/2011

The shift in development thinking and practice towards people-centred programmes and the participation of people and communities in decisions concerning their own lives is creating new opportunities for social change and the empowerment of both women and men in rural areas. Nevertheless, it is...

 
07/03/2011

Lors de la première formation, j'avais provoqué les participant(es) en leur disant de réduire leurs frais d'habillement (habillement et autres parures de luxe) pour investir dans les équipements informatiques et dans leur formation: on se forme pour la vie alors que l'on...

 
07/03/2011

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) established a Virtual Academy in 2004, which takes advantage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to allow for interaction between women from 21 villages and scientists. Designated women from the...

 
04/03/2011

The UN Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) has recently hosted its 55th annual session in New York, from 22 February to 4 March 2011. During the annual session, two specific events, organized by FAO, IFAD, WFP and the World Bank  highlighted the importance of improving rural...

 
21/02/2011

This policy brief sums up current thinking on the role of gender in agricultural reserach and development. Exceeding the original intention to solely extract the main operational points from the "Gender in Agriculture Sourcebook" and other sources, it provides:      Up...

 
26/01/2011

"The AkiraChix, an-all girls’ team, was declared a winner of the recently held IPO48 software development competition in Kenya.  The IPO48 initiative brought together 100 participants from all over the country to pitch their ideas, question business models, form teams and create 17...

 
e-Agriculture
23/01/2011

The 2nd Edition of this Policy Brief is now available (PDF) in English, Spanish, and French. This Policy Brief is based on the input of e-Agriculture Community members who participated in the online forum held from 5 to 16 July, 2010 (in English). The document is available in English...

 
15/12/2010

Since inception in 2000, Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) has made various efforts in information sharing and promoting the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) among women and women organizations in Uganda. Currently, WOUGNET has over 100 women organisations as members, the...

 
07/12/2010

by By Ngala Killian Chimtom (IPS) - YAOUNDÉ, Dec 6, 2010 (IPS) - These are awkward times for the men in the middle in Cameroon's Western Highlands. A profitable niche buying produce cheaply on farms, and supplying farmers with seed and fertiliser at premium prices has been shattered by the...

 
23/11/2010

The publication "Wave Power" showcases four community radio projects helping to tackle the Millennium Development Goals in developing countries. The case studies - in India, Malawi, the Caribbean and Nepal - demonstrate how communication at the grassroots level is so important, not only...

 
12/11/2010

Source: Financial Mail "A study by Essex University economics professor Patrick Nolen has found that a woman living in rural areas of SA where there is cellphone coverage has a better chance of finding employment A rural woman with a cellphone in her hand is more powerful than one without. A...

 
15/10/2010

The Role of Women in Rural and Agricultural Development The International Day of Rural Women recognizes "the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty."...

 
27/09/2010

GenARDIS 2002-2010 "Including rural women improves agricultural production and livelihoods" By Jennifer Radloff SUMMARY "Access to new information and communications technologies (ICTs) affects both men and women living in remote areas. Governments and the telecommunications...

 
23/09/2010

Sources: IFDC.org and  UN Events Calendar Event Description: The first International Day of Rural Women was observed on 15 October 2008. This new international day, recognizes "the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural...

 
10/08/2010

A prospective View: New Scenarios, Actors and Articulations Gender, Society and Policies Area- FLACSO Argentina 9-12 November 2010 FLACSO's Academic Venue in Buenos Aires, Argentina One of the thematic axes is: "Gender Equality in Constructing the Knowledge Society: Inclusion and Innovation...

 
05/08/2010

A report on Gender Assessment of ICT Access and Usage in Africa Volume One 2010 Policy Paper 5 What does gender have to do with the development of a sustainable information society in Africa? This policy paper represents a continual exploration and analysis of ICT access and usage inequities,...

 
21/05/2010

Investing in women farmers promises to yield a double dividend: better food security and greater economic growth. More than three decades of work on women and agriculture at the International Center for Research on Women suggests that improving women's access to resources, technology, markets and...

 
11/03/2010

FAO-ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT Policy Brief: Female Land Ownership Percentage of agricultural holdings headed by women (1996-2007) See Map of women's access to land  

 
08/02/2010

The Gender Research in Africa into ICTs for Empowerment (GRACE -http://www.grace-network.net) is a project that was initiated in 2005 with an aim to provide context specific data on how women in Africa use information communication technologies (ICTs) to improve their lives, barriers that prevent...

 
20/05/2009

Background and context: In 2001 and 2002, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) commissioned the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) and OneWorld International (OWI) to examine issues associated with the generation and exchange of local content. DFID...

 
15/10/2008

Dimitra is a participatory information and communication project which contributes to improving the visibility of rural populations, women in particular. The goal of Dimitra is to highlight the role of women and men as producers, so that their respective interests are better taken into...

 
15/11/2007

The M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) has been working since 1992 to implement Village Resource Centers and Village Knowledge Centers in rural India. Their goal is to help bridge the digital divide, gender divide, and knowledge divide via various ICT-enabled development activities.