Presentación del proyecto que integra la Cooperación Brasil-FAO durante la 74ª Reunión del Comité Consultivo Internacional del Algodón (ICA), llevado a cabo del 6 al 11 de diciembre el Mumbai, India.

2. 1. The Project “Strengthening the Cotton Sector
through South-South Cooperation”
2. Gender policies of FAO
3. General information on the study
4. Methodological Framework
5. Conceptual Framework: Gender in the Cotton
Value Chain
6. Bottlenecks affecting the participation of
women in the value chain
7. Factors affecting gender inequality in the
Cotton Value Chain
8. Success stories and good practices
9. Recommendations within the framework of
the project

4. Men and women:
• Participate in equal measure in
decision-making and in the
formulation of laws, policies and
programs.
• Have equal access to and control
over their employment and fair
wages, land and other productive
resources.
• Have equal access to necessary
goods and services.
• The workload of women is reduced
by 20% through the use of improved
technologies, services and
infrastructure.
• Agricultural financing for projects
related to women and gender
equality is increased by 30%.
The policy of gender equality of the FAO has
the goal of achieving equality between men
and women in areas of sustainable agricultural
production and rural development, to eradicate
hunger and poverty.

5. • Timeframe: May– November 2014
• Location: Five countries (Argentina, Bolivia,
Colombia, Paraguay and Peru)
• Conceptual Framework: Family Farming in
LAC; Analysis of Value Chains;
• Methodological Framework: Qualitative and
Participative
• Participation of 310 producers (men and
women); 200 Policy-makers and Technicians
• Identification of the roles and
identification/ incidence of gender gaps in the
cotton value chain in each country.

6.  Review of the literature on Value Chains (VC), Family Farming in LAC
 Development of Qualitative and Participative Strategy
 Participative Methodology:
Mapping of the Chain,
Analysis of activities differentiated by gender;
Ranking/Defining Priorities,
Semi-structured interviews and Focus Groups
Analysis of Opportunities for Empowerment
Visits to the areas of cotton production in each country
Validation of the information with the three groups of actors involved:
Decision-makers at the political level;
 Extension agents (technical assistance and rural extension), Suppliers,
Academics;
 Cotton growers
(Suppliers of inputs, representatives de grassroots organizations,
cooperatives, transportation, the private sector, markets)

7. Rubin, D., C. Manfre and K. Nichols Barret. GAT/USAID, 2009 Washington DC

8. COUNTRIES
+
ARGENTIN
A
BOLIVIA COLOMBIA PARAGUAY PERU
Sub-
Totals
WOMEN 41 67 23 17 34 182
MEN 35 24 23 24 22 128
TOTAL 76 91 46 41 56
Grand Total 310
AVERAGE AGE
WOMEN 18 - 57 18- 60 20 - 58 18 - 60 16 - 65
MEN 20 - 60 18 - 60 18 - 65 20 - 60 18 - 65
HECTARES WORKED < 10 Ha 0.50 - 7 Ha 5 - 9 Ha 0.5 - 10 Ha 1.0 - 5 Ha
HOURS WORKED PER
DAY
WOMEN >12 Hs >14 Hs >12 Hs 12/16 Hs >12 -14Hs
MEN >10 Hs >9 Hs >8-10 Hs 9-10 Hs >10 Hs

9. Processing/
Artisanal weaving
Preparing the
soil/
Seeding
Local/ International
Market
Industrialization/ Sale
of Products/
Marketing
Use of Agro-
chemicals
MEN
MEN/
WOMEN
MEN/WOMEN
MEN/WOMEN
Crop care/
monitoring/
weeding
Men/Women
/children
Women/
children MEN
Harvest
Access to
land/property/
leasing
Transport/Mobility
Access to Markets
and CONTROL over
their income

10. 1. Land tenure/Ownership/Access to leasing small
farm holdings(Land)
2. Decision-making power concerning the productive
area/earnings/themselves/mobility
3. Access to Credits and Benefits
4. Access to Technical Assistance (Training; formal
and informal or for adults/rural extension)
5. Time (Use of time)
6. Access to Markets (local, regional, international)
7. Representativeness (Power of representation or
association)
8. Access to services (Education, Health, Mobility,
Infrastructure, etc.)

11. COUNTRY EXPERIENCE
Paraguay The Cooperative of Producers of Ao-Po’í in Yataití de Guairá and
the Organization of Women Artisans of the district of Carapeguá,
in Paraguarí.
Peru The Association of Artisans “Manos con Talento” and Huaca de
Barro, both located in the Department of Lambayeque.
Bolivia The Union of Artisans of the Earth (UNIARTE) comprised of
communities of Guarayos and Chiquitanos origin.

12. • Leadership of rural women in cotton production and
processing.
• Improvements within the family.
• Access to and utilization of programs and training
courses.
• Access to assets and/or credits for the women.
• Appropriate management of the workload and
household by the women.
• Adoption of innovative techniques, marketing
strategies, investment capacities.
• Capacity for organization and association.
• Lines of action for social work with gender equality.

14.  Expand the incentives for association (collective action) and organization of the cotton
value chain in the countries.
 Invest in generating Added Value to cotton: processing with lighter ginning machines or
mechanical looms for artisanal products produced by women.
 Support the initiatives for production and processing of native cotton/ cotton with
identity/organic cotton; considering the opportunities for work and income for rural women.
 Development of capacities; both producers and public institutions (technical/ personal/
productive area/ leadership/ business management).
Incorporate initiatives into the projects in the field which reduce existing gender
inequalities and generational gaps in the countries.
To promote participation of the rural women in the cotton value chain, it is necessary to:

15. Training regarding access to adequate and differentiated financial schemes for men and
women.
Develop actions for technical assistance and rural extension for women as a strategy for
sustainable and inclusive development in rural areas.
 Link the cotton project with existing gender initiatives (policies and programs) in the 5
countries.
 Expand the support of public policies for women who work in the cotton sector for niche
markets.
Develop activities with a gender focus for the diversification of production; with the aim of
contributing to Food and Nutritional Security in areas of cotton cultivation.

16. Thank you

17. For more information please visit: http://www.fao.org/in-
action/program-brazil-fao/projects/cotton-sector/en/