Women Empowerment for Improved Research in Agricultural Development, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer in the West Asia/ North Africa Region

The study on “Women Empowerment for Improved Research in Agricultural Development,
Innovation and Knowledge Transfer in the West Asia/North Africa Region” was commissioned by the
Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA). The
study aims at proposing policies to ministries of agriculture, agricultural research institutions and
extension agencies to advance the role of women working in agriculture in the region. The study
combines a desk-study with literature, internet research and field studies in Jordan, Egypt and
Tunisia. With limited resources the study team could only conduct field-research in three of the five
WANA sub-regions. The countries of the Arabian Peninsula with very limited agriculture were not
seen as a priority for this study. Pakistan, Iran and Turkey, that make up Western Asia, and have a
combined population of more than 200 Million and a high diversity of agricultural systems, would
require more than two field studies to do it justice. The focus of the study hence was on three
countries in the Mashreq, Nile Valley and the Maghreb with agricultural systems typical for the
respective sub-regions.
The countries of the WANA region are very diverse along key indicators of human development
such as health, education and living standards. The region includes primarily agrarian economies
such as Somalia and Sudan, countries with a large agricultural sector such as Pakistan, Egypt,
Morocco, Syria and Tunisia and countries that have virtually no or minor agriculture like the
countries of Gulf, especially the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. While this report is primarily of
relevance for countries with a large agricultural sector, the prevailing patriarchal gender paradigm
persists in most countries of the region. It allocates access to vital resources and development
potentials along gender lines instead of needs and potentials. Such a paradigm effectively curtails
the development of half of the region’s people while hampering population policies and slowing
economic and social development beyond the agricultural sector.
The case for women’s equal rights and access to resources in agriculture is clear cut and undisputed.
This report and the recent studies cited provide ample evidence that the development prospects of
the WANA countries are seriously compromised by persistent gender inequities. The study clearly
illustrates the significant barriers rural women and female farmers face in the WANA region. The
reasons are manifold, ranging from the limiting impact of the prevailing patriarchal gender
paradigm on rural women, to gender-blind agricultural policies, insufficient human resources, lack
of skills and know-how in agricultural institutions and organizations. Shortages of funds, weak
commitment, gender equity on all levels and persistent gender stereotyping are common.