Gender, ICTs and Agriculture

The background paper for the 2002 CTA (Technical Centre for Agricultural and RuralCooperation) ICT Observatory meeting. This paper lays out the general issues to be discussed during the meeting and provides an overview of key initiatives on gender, agriculture and ICTs, as well as an assessment of gender in CTA's past and current activities with partners in Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.




Foreword

The world today is an "information society". There is an ever-increasing use ofinformation in all aspects of human activity. This also means that there are manytechnologies that assist in providing information in a timely manner. Historically, foodsecurity and economic development depend on access to information, and learningthrough knowledge management and exchange. While information has always beenindispensable in processes of political, economic, and social development, the way inwhich information is accessed and controlled is widely debated. In recent years, thereis much discussion about the ‘digital divide', in which some members of society orareas of the world are left behind others who have access to new information andcommunication technologies.1 The poor, illiterate, displaced or disabled persons, racialand ethnic minorities, any of these social groups could be left behind by theinformation society.

This report, and the effort of CTA to examine gender, ICTs and agriculture recognizesthe digital divide that exists between developing nations of Africa, the Caribbean andthe Pacific and the rest of the world. More specifically, it argues that within the ACPcountries both obstacles and opportunities exist in the use of ICTs by resource-poorfarmers, women and youth. Attention is directed to how ICTs can help to reconstructgender relations so that the needs of all groups in the information society are met. Inthis respect, CTA's task is to mainstream gender issues into its work.

The report begins with an introduction to gender, ICTs and agriculture for ruraldevelopment in ACP countries. Section 2 presents an overview of the major genderissues within agricultural and rural development. Section 3 considers the currentbackground to ICTs and agricultural development. Section 4 outlines important genderissues in ICTs in developing countries. Section 5 identifies key initiatives around theworld relevant to gender responsive use of ICTs for rural development. It capturesinnovative projects as well as the activities of multilateral, bilateral andnongovernmental organizations, corporations and academic institutions. Section 6presents a summary of efforts, ideas and recommendations on gender, information,communication and agriculture in ACP countries generated to date by CTA and itsstakeholders. Finally, Section 7 of the report provides some suggestions for CTA'sefforts to mainstream gender in its strategy and actions for the future.

Overall, the report offers a situation analysis of gender, ICTs and agriculture thatanticipates continued discussion. It challenges CTA to be as relevant as possible to theinformation and communication needs of resource-poor producers and consumers,especially rural women, in ACP nations....