Nepal leads in women advancement index

Overall, Nepal leads the South Asian markets with an overall score of 55.0 and a high proportion of women in the workforce (92.0). Bangladesh and Sri Lanka follow with overall scores of 45.5 and 43.8 respectively, while India (38.0) and Pakistan (23.0) round off the lower end of the spectrum.

http://www.masterintelligence.com/view_report/index_of_womens_advancement/asia_pacific/2013/South%2BAsia

After the MDGs: Hunger, food and nutrition security in the post-2015 development framework

http://www.ifad.org/events/madrid/index.htm

As the international community counts down 1,000 days to 1 January 2015 – the target date for meeting the Millennium Development Goals – experts and advocates around the world are already building a framework for development and poverty reduction beyond the MDGs. That effort continues this week with a high-level United Nations meeting in Madrid, capping the latest in a series of thematic consultations on the post-2015 global agenda.

Hosted by the Governments of Spain and Colombia, the Madrid meeting is about hunger, food and nutrition security – issues that are closely aligned with IFAD’s goal of enabling poor rural people to overcome poverty. Co-leaders of the event include the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme, together with IFAD and the Rome-based non-governmental organization Bioversity.

As a point of departure for the post-2015 framework, participants in the consultation have already established a set of core principles relating to food security. They are committed, for example, to seeking an end to hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition within a generation. They also recognize that reaching such an ambitious goal will require sustainable economic growth and human development, an emphasis on opportunities for marginalized groups and a comprehensive global approach that is tailored to local needs.

‘The tools they need’
From IFAD’s standpoint, inclusive and sustainable rural development is one of the keys to realizing this vision. Some 70 per cent of the world’s poor live in rural areas, and most of them are engaged in small-scale farming. As drivers of economic growth, food security and environmental preservation, they have the potential to transform the future.

“I have seen the ability of poor rural people to transform their farms, their lives and their communities in Bangladesh, Haiti and Zambia and many other parts of the developing world,” IFAD President Kanayo F. Nwanze said at a recent seminar on the future of food security.

To spearhead such a transformation, rural communities must be able to harness science and technology, build on local and indigenous knowledge, and gain access to markets and market incentives. In addition, they must be in a position to increase the production of nutritious foods and cut post-harvest losses, which currently consume up to 40 per cent of the food crops produced in sub-Saharan Africa. All of this is especially critical in an era of droughts and other shocks resulting from climate change, which can lead to poor harvests and recurrent food crises.
IFAD’s experience has shown that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to increasing food security in rural areas, because local conditions vary widely. Instead, the most effective approach is to empower poor rural people with the skills, knowledge and resources they need to improve their own livelihoods – both on and off the farm – and leave poverty behind.

“Our job is to give poor rural people the tools they need, and to create the conditions for them to be able to benefit from the very real opportunities in agriculture,” Nwanze said.

Addressing inequality
Empowerment is particularly essential for the most disadvantaged segments of rural societies, including women, youth and indigenous peoples, who face obstacles posed by social and economic inequalities. Addressing these inequalities, and thereby enabling inclusive growth, will help to ensure a strong foundation for post-2015 development for the following reasons:

•  The advancement of rural women is a prerequisite for sustainable development in general and rural development in particular. Women represent a majority of the agricultural labour force worldwide. When they are economically and socially empowered, they become a potent force for change. Evidence shows that when women earn money, they are more likely than men to spend it on food for their families. Overall, giving women equal access to land and resources would reduce the number of hungry people in the world by an estimated 100 to 150 million.
•  Today’s generation of young people is the largest in history, comprising 1.2 billion individuals between 15 and 24 years of age. Approximately 85 per cent of this population lives in developing countries. But many who were born in rural areas are leaving to look for work and income elsewhere. Investing in rural employment opportunities for these young people is key to enhancing agricultural productivity, boosting rural economies and reducing rural-to-urban migration.
•  Indigenous peoples account for 5 per cent of the world’s population but 15 per cent of the population living in poverty. About a third of IFAD-supported projects and programmes work with indigenous peoples in some 35 countries, where they are often the poorest of the rural poor. With the emergence of strong indigenous peoples’ movements, countries such as Nepal and the Philippines are now recognizing and promoting the rights of indigenous peoples within the framework of national unity and development.

In the end, universal food and nutrition security will depend largely upon the prospects of some 500 million small farms whose crops already feed much of the developing world. “The need to grow more – and to grow more effectively – is primarily a need of smallholders,” said IFAD’s Nwanze. “These women and men need to be able to grow more and sell more at better prices.” It’s a message that IFAD is carrying to the consultation in Madrid.

Agriculture development strategy row : Ministry assures stakeholders of talks

The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives ( MoAC ) has assured associations, which are in opposition to the drafting process of the Agriculture Development Strategy (ADS), that their concerns will be discussed with the new minister.

Farmer associations and civil society have accused the government of keeping them aloof even after assuring that a broader discussion would be held on the proposed draft.

“We (the ministry) have given the issue due priority and will be discussed with the new minister,” said ministry spokesperson Hari Dahal at an interaction here on Friday. Currently, MoAC is without a minister.

Dahal said if the ADS is made similar to the Agriculture Perspective Plan (APP), it is worthless as similar kind of vision and strategy will not address the agriculture sector’s woes.

With the Agriculture Perspective Plan (APP) failing to yield desired results, the government is working on ADS that is expected to supersede APP by 2015.

ADS, being drafted under the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) assistance, will outline detailed programmes for the next 10 years, in which potential projects for investment by the private sector and donor agencies will be identified.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the Finance Ministry, which had assured broader discussion with all stakeholders, Krishna Poudel, who represents the civil society, said there were no sign of holding discussions. The Finance Ministry had assured them that the issue would be discussed with both the finance and agriculture ministers and also with the ADB.

Around Rs 160 million is being invested for ADS drafting. “It’s not a question of cash, but a question of the country’s agro future which has been taken so lightly,” Poudel said.

Echoing Poudel, NGO Federation Nepal President Netra Timilsina demanded inclusive participation of stakeholders in ADS drafting. The drafting process started in April last year and is scheduled to be completed 2012-end. “The drafting process should be transparent and come as an independent draft in favour of the country’s agri sector and farmers,” he said.

Prem Dangal, secretary-general of the All Nepal Peasants’ Federation, said ADS is being prepared at a time when the country is concentrating on the peace process and constitution drafting processes. “APP’s validity is until 2015, and ADS being prepared four years before has some reasons to point out,” Dangal said, adding that the proposed ADS reflect liberal agriculture policy and in the context of Nepal. “As all the processes, methodology and content of ADS is not correct and is against the interest of the country’s farm sector, we appeal to the government to immediately stop it.”

http://www.ekantipur.com/2012/05/05/headlines/Agriculture-development-strategy-row--Ministry-assures-stakeholders-of-talks/353457/

After the MDGs: Hunger, food and nutrition security in the post-2015 development framework

To spearhead such a transformation, rural communities must be able to harness science and technology, build on local and indigenous knowledge, and gain access to markets and market incentives. ...

http://www.ifad.org/events/madrid/index.htm