Rural Women in Asia: Agriculture, Livelihoods, and Food Security

Asian economics present a mixed picture of countries with impressive growth and those that are burdened by the economic ills of low incomes and food deficits. Even with such differences in economic performance, agriculture continues to be the dominant sector in the region and of strategic importance to pverty alleviation and sustainable food security. The drudgery of rural women's work raises gender equality considerations concerning rural women and their efforts to improve household food security. Time is the key resource in women's strategies to access food and livelihood commodities, yet most rural women in Asia have insufficient time. A heavy work burden leaves women little time to participate in capacity improvement interventions even if opportunities are available. The daily life of rural women in the region is characterized by the search for water, fuel and inputs for either agriculture or household production in their common pursuit of household livelihood secuirty, including food security. In the region, women's roles and constraints in contributing to household food security must be viewed in the context of the ecological resource base, food trade, liberation of trade and transformation to open market economics, employment opportunities, access to technology and technical knowledge, and input supply.