This volume is the sum of contributions by many people. The original papers were written by Khawar Mumtaz, Pakistan; Alexandra Stephens, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAPA); Marilyn Waring, New Zealand; and Gautam Yadama, India.
Consultants were then engaged by FAO in a Regional Expert Consultation held in FAO RAPA in Bangkok, Thailand, to review the papers and present experiences from their own countries. These papers provided a comprehensive basis for determining key findings, conclusions and recommendations. They are addressed to policy makers and planners in Agriculture Ministries and other agencies to enable them to consider gender issues for two major reasons: 1) to better meet targets set for sustainable, national food security and rural development; and 2) to ensure that women farmers are neither constrained nor exploited as partners in increasing sustainable agricultural production and productivity.
The draft report was unanimously adopted at the final session of the Regional Consultation. This document was then edited by Ms. Anne Johnson for publication in its present form.