Improving the role of women in agriculture

A two-day training program on the integration of women in the agriculture sector was held from 17-18 September at the Taj Samudra Hotel. 

Representatives of ministries, the private sector, civil society, academia, and development partners took part in the event which looked at strengthening the capacities of participants, particularly those from agriculture-related ministries dealing with planning, budgeting and policy development, for designing, implementing and monitoring sectoral programs and policies.

The participants had the opportunity to learn about gender concepts, analyse gender roles, and identify gender gaps in the agriculture and rural sector tools used for planning, budgeting and policy development.

Speaking at the occasion, Frank Hess, Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, said: “Access to employment for women is a critical issue that needs to be addressed for achieving gender equality. Integration of gender into national agricultural and natural resource policies is an important step forward. It will help women increase their contribution to agricultural production and rural development, while improving the quality of their lives.”

The training is an integral part of the FAO-EU FIRST Policy Advice Facility and the Technical Assistance to the Modernisation of Agriculture Program. The FIRST program support to Sri Lanka amounts to EUR 400,000. The Technical Assistance to the Modernisation of Agriculture Program, worth EUR 4.2 million aims to contribute to a more productive, diversified, market-oriented, and equitable agriculture sector in Sri Lanka. The technical assistance will be provided from 2018-2021. Substantial technical input has been provided by FAO gender experts.