'This issue of Women2000 on the gender dimensions of ageing highlights the inequalities faced by older women as a result of their gender-based roles in society, as well as the important role older women play at the family and community levels and possible measures to strengthen their positive contribution. The issue addresses policy implications for women in an ageing world, and explores changing family structures, widowhood, care giving, social protection and health, women’s work, and retirem more...

'Polishing the stone' shares some of IFAD's knowledge and experience in promoting gender equity in rural development projects.
Source: IFAD

The Sourcebook adopts the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) to provide a conceptual framework for the complexities and synergies of gender equality, livelihoods, food security, and poverty reduction. It provides practical advice, guidelines, principles, descriptions and illustrations of approaches that have worked so far to achieve the goal of effective gender mainstreaming in the agricultural operations of development agencies.It is intended as a guide for practitioners and technical staff more...

Last week the US government provided another bail-out of $37.8 billion to the giant insurance company, AIG, bringing the total of rescue loans to that one company in the last two weeks to nearly $123 billion. This is $18 billion more than the annual amount of aid to poor countries and twice that needed to achieve the internationally-agreed Millennium Development Goals. In Europe the bail-outs have continued. The UK government has thrown in a further 50 billion to recapitalise the UK banking sect more...

This food policy report synthesizes current research about the role that woman play in ensuring food security in the developing world. It presents evidence on woman as food procedure,as providers of food to the household, and as contribute to household nutrition security. In so doing ,it offers concrete proof that reducing gender come for woman and better food and disparities by increasing woman physical and human capital promote agriculture growth, grater income for woman and better food and n more...

'Women play a critical role in the rural economies of both developed and developing countries. In most parts of the developing world, they participate in crop production and livestock care, provide food, water and fuel for their families, and engage in off-farm activities to diversify the family income. In addition, they carry out vital functions in caring for children, older persons and the sick.

This issue of Women 2000 and Beyond explores the situation of rural women and the full diversity more...

27 September 2008 – The global food and fuel crisis will be not resolved unless countries start turning their statements and promises of assistance and reform on the issue into reality, Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim told the General Assembly tonight, calling for a multi-track approach to tackling the problems.
Affluent countries have a particular responsibility to fulfil their commitments on providing aid and official development assistance (ODA) to needy nations, Mr. Yatim told the f more...

Most of the world’s 1.2 billion poor people, two thirds of whom are women, live in water-scarce countries and do not have access to safe and reliable supplies of water for productive and domestic uses (IFAD 2001a). The bulk of these rural poor people are dependant on agriculture for their livelihoods and live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the regions which are also home to most of the world’s water poor (Molden 2007). Securing water for improved rural livelihoods: Securing water for more...

The Markets, Trade, and Institutions Division (MTID) of IFPRI analyzes the role of gender in agricultural market reforms, crop and income diversification, post-harvest activity, and agro-industry. It seeks to understand how gender analyses can help countries best develop markets, institutions and infrastructure in ways that contribute to agricultural growth, help alleviate poverty and ensure food and nutrition security for all. Current research examines the impact of infrastructure and food valu more...

The 1995 Beijing Platform for Action set goals for empowering women in developing nations. Over the five years since the Beijing +5 review assessed progress toward these goals, the International Food Policy Research Institute
(IFPRI) has generated new studies reaffirming that empowering women
is the key to ensuring food and nutrition security in the developing
world. This brief brings together IFPRI’s most recent research findings on
gender and food security and offers proof to policymaker more...