In rural Africa and the Middle East, many ecosystems are on the verge of collapse. The interplay of social, ecological, and political-economic forces has compromised the ability of farmers to sustain their precious soil. As a result, farmers, and especially women farmers, face a constant daily struggle to survive.
[Abstract] If development means the exapnsion of human capabilities, then freedom from domestic violence should be an integral part of any exercise for evaluating development progress. This paper focuses on a hitherto unexplored factor underlying women's risk of marital violence, namely women's property status. Many studies have examined the scale and corralates of marital violence, but neglected this dimension. Based on a household survey in Kerala (India), the authors assess the prevalence and correlates of both phisical and psychological violence - long term and current.
Poor women in developing countries rely on land as source of livelihood. Increasing pressure on land — brought on by globalisation pressures, increased population and privatisation — undermines women’s land tenure security. The comparison of women’s land access is predominantly measured against that of men, and this has been the basis for formulating policy aimed at increasing women’s land tenure security. However, this dichotomy reduces women to a homogenous group which experiences tenure security in an identical manner, so the dichotomy masks several differences which exist among women.
[From the Executive Summary] Women’s access to and control over land is crucial for improving their status and reducing gender inequalities, which in turn are critical factors in reducing the prevalence of poverty, malnutrition and AIDS. Women’s farming activities, which prioritise providing food for the family, have been largely overlooked in agricultural policy. And women’s rights to land and livelihoods have barely been included in HIV strategies and programmes.
Securing the rights of both women and men to land is essential for sustainable rural development, social equity and economic growth. Today women are the major agricultural producers at the household level. Yet their rights are often marginalized and can be lost in development projects unless gender-inclusive practices are implemented. This guide focuses on gender relations and how their structure may affect access to land.
The Gender, Land and Asset Survey (GLAS) is one of the first studies to undertake a quantitative and gendered assessment of men’s and women’s rights over assets – including ownership, documentation and degree of control over use, transfer and transactions – and the implications thereof.
This is the report of a workshop held in Zimbabwe on HIV/AIDS and property rights women, with the aim of empowering widows at the grassroots level, as well as orphans affected by insecure property rights. The report makes recommendations on how to increase tenure security for women and children affected by HIV/AIDS.
You can download this report from the FAO website.
This document calls attention to the importance of women's empowerment in all aspects of public and private life. There is a specific section in the paper on women's access to land and other resources that emphasises the need to understand the power dynamic and the effects of policies on the allocation of and the the control over resources. In conclusion, the paper stresses the need to involve all members of society, including men, and political leaders, in the struggle for women's empowerment and equality.
Access to and control over land is crucial for family well-being and food security in Kenya. Most land in Kenya is acquired through inheritance of family ancestral land, which is mostly passed down the male line.
