CAGAYAN
de Oro City--To empower the marginalized sectors including the women in
agriculture, and with them, work for a policy and legal environment oriented
towards the realization of their rights and participation in governance, the IDEALS,
Inc. held the “Towards a Win-Win Solution” in Cagayan de Oro City, September
20.
The
event is comprised of a consensus building and round table discussion on women
in agriculture highlighting gender inclusive practices and challenges in
business and human rights.
Among
the challenges that women farmers or producers currently face, as cited by
Oxfam, include lack of representation and/or voice in decision-making bodies,
landlessness and land ownership issues, limited public investments in agriculture,
limited access to productive assets and finance, social and economic norms,
violence against women and food insecurity.
To
address such issues, Jocelyn Villanueva of Oxfam said that the country could
make use of Graisea’s gender transformative approach that entails gender
equality in participation and decision-power making, changing attitudes and
mindsets on social and cultural norms about gender, equal access to resources
and economic opportunities, and gender responsive policies and investments.
Villanueva
further said that fortunately, some of the businesses in the country have
integrated the gender transformative approach in order to put a premium on
value chains and value chain development practices that enhance women’s
participation and empowerment yet there is a great need to strengthen such
initiative to fully realize gender and development in all agriculture-based
businesses.
For
an instance, the Alter Trade and Tri-People Concern for Peace Progress and
Development of Mindanao / Kulaman Manobo Dulangan Organization/Sultan Kudarat
Coffee Ventures Incorporated interventions has positively manifested the
critical importance of implementing a conscious gender-transformative program
from the start in agricultural value chain interventions where the target
participants are mixed groups of women and men, for women’s economic
empowerment to be realized.
The
Rural Improvement Club of Maramag also aided in enhancing the power of
conscious gender-transformative program to fully realize women’s economic
empowerment by choosing the women as the sole participants of their program.
IDEALS
said that these and more gender-transformative programs are attainable if the
businesses in the country, backed by strong enforcement of the law for women,
will be able to consider tradition and culture, capacity building for women,
leadership development, handle ownership issues and secure economic empowerment
of women.
Thus,
they are encouraging more agriculture-based businesses to take part in their
advocacy in upholding the rights of women in agriculture since they believe
that people can grow a better future with women as the key.
IDEALS
serves as the legal resource institute and member of trade advocacy groups in
the Philippines. They envision an empowered and resilient citizenry sustained
by participatory and accountable governance, equitable enjoyment of resources
and opportunities, and accessible justice. (RTP/PIA10)
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PHOTO CAPTION...
IDEALS,
Inc holds the "Towards a Win-Win Solution," a consensus building on
business and human rights, and round table discussion on women in agriculture
highlighting gender inclusive practices and challenges in business and human
rights to empower the marginalized sectors including the women in agriculture,
and with them, work for a policy and legal environment oriented towards the
realization of their rights and participation in governance on September 20 at
Cagayan de Oro City. (RTP/PIA10)
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