Adopted at the 40th AMAF Meeting

11 October 2018
Ha Noi, Viet Nam

AMAF’S APPROACH TO GENDER MAINSTREAMING

IN THE FOOD, AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY SECTORS

ASEAN TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP ON AGRICULTURE AND

RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT (ATWGARD)
2018

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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August 1967.
The Member States of the Association are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao
PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. The ASEAN
Secretariat is based in Jakarta, Indonesia.

For inquiries, contact:

The ASEAN Secretariat
Community Relations Division 70A Jalan Sisingamangaraja
Jakarta 12110
Indonesia
Phone : (62 21) 724-3372, 726-2991 Fax : (62 21) 739-8234, 724-3504 E-mail :
public.div@asean.org

General information on ASEAN appears online at the ASEAN Website: www.asean.org

Catalogue-in-Publication Data

The AMAF’S Approach to gender mainstreaming in the food, agriculture and forestry sectors
Jakarta: ASEAN Secretariat, 2018.

LIST OF ACRONYMS

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ACW ASEAN Committee on Women
AMAF ASEAN Ministers Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry
AMS ASEAN Member States
ASCC ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community
ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
ASOF ASEAN Senior Officials on Forestry
ASWGL ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Livestock
ASWGC ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Crops
ASWGFi ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Fisheries
ATWGARD Agricultural Research and Development
AWGCC ASEAN Working Group on Climate Change
COP Conference of the Parties
CSA Climate Smart Agriculture
FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FES Friedrich- Ebert-Stiftung
FCPF Forest Carbon Partnership Facility
GSVC Gender-Sensitive Value Chain
HPA Hanoi Plan of Action
IDS Institute of Development Studies
NTFP Non-Timber Forest Product
R-PP Readiness Preparation Proposal
SPA Strategic Plan of Action
SSF Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries
UN United Nations
UNFCCC UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
UNDRIP UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
VAP Vientiane Action Programme
WTO World Trade Organization

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PREFACE

The AMAF’S Approach to gender mainstreaming in the food, agriculture and forestry sectors
were completed by the ASEAN Technical Working Group on Agricultural Research and
Development (ATWGARD), with support from the ASEAN Working Groups on Livestock,
Crops and Fisheries and ASEAN Senior Officials on Forestry (ASOF) and the ASEAN
Committee on Women (ACW).

AMAF’S Approach to gender mainstreaming in the food, agriculture and forestry sectors is
defined as public measures that apply a gender perspective which as a result affect the
behavior of different stakeholders (amongst other producers, farmers and regulators). The
gender policy covers key elements to be integrated into a set of policies and programs to
ensure women working in the food, agriculture and forestry sectors in ASEAN are
empowered.

Recognising that gender inequalities permeate the food, agriculture and forestry sectors and
that public policies and frameworks yield significant gendered impacts on the three sectors;
the AMAF’s Approach aim to set out recommendations that serve as reference guides for
AMS in their efforts to promote gender equality in the food, agriculture and forestry sectors.
The AMAF’s Approach is not intended to be a full or binding statement on gender. The
AMAF’s Approach will help increase AMSs’ awareness of the importance of gender policies
in the food, agriculture and forestry sector, with a view to stimulating the development of
best practices and enhancing cooperation between ASEAN Member States.

The AMAF’s Approach to gender mainstreaming in the food, agriculture and forestry sectors,
which are public document, will be a living reference as ATWGARD will update them
frequently to reflect any changes and development in ASEAN, and international/regional
best practices.
The AMAF’S Approach to gender mainstreaming in the food, agriculture and forestry sectors
were adopted by the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) at the 40 th AMAF
Meeting in 2018 in Ha Noi, Viet Nam.

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 Table of Contents
LIST OF ACRONYMS ................................................................................................... 2
PREFACE ....................................................................................................................... 4
1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 6
1.1. Gender Equality in ASEAN .......................................................................................... 6
1.2. Women in the food, agriculture and forestry sector in ASEAN .............................. 6
2. OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................. 7
3. AMAF’S APPROACH TO GENDER MAINSTREAMING ........................................ 7
3.1. AMAF’s Statement of Policy ................................................................................... 7
3.2. Food, Agriculture and Forestry Cooperation in ASEAN ..................................... 8
3.2.1. Livestock .................................................................................................................... 8
3.2.2. Crop ........................................................................................................................... 10
3.2.3. Fisheries and aquaculture ................................................................................... 11
3.2.4. Forestry .................................................................................................................... 12
3.2.5. Climate change ....................................................................................................... 13
3.2.6. Food security and nutrition ................................................................................. 15
3.2.7. Integrating gender into food, agricultural and forestry value chains ...... 15
4. REGIONAL STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN ................................................... 16
4.1. Mainstreaming gender in food, agriculture and forestry .................................. 16
4.2. Framework for a strategy for mainstreaming gender in food, agriculture and
forestry ................................................................................................................................ 17
4.2.1. Approach and advocacy ...................................................................................... 17
4.2.2. Capacity Building ................................................................................................... 17
4.2.3. Institutional Framework ....................................................................................... 18
4.2.4. Building and strengthening strategic partnership ........................................ 18
4.2.5. Information, Communication and Publicity .................................................... 18
4.2.6. Research, Innovation and technology ............................................................. 18
5. IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS .......................................................................... 19
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 19
Annex 1: Recommended gender intervention in sectoral SPAs ......................... 21
Strategic Plan for ASEAN Cooperation in Food, Agriculture and Forestry ................ 21
(2016- 2025)......................................................................................................................... 21
SPA for ASEAN Cooperation in Agricultural Research and Development ................. 22
2016-2020 ............................................................................................................................ 22
SPA on ASEAN Cooperation in Livestock ...................................................................... 23
2016-2020 ............................................................................................................................ 23
SPA on ASEAN Cooperation on Crops ........................................................................... 24
2016-2020 ............................................................................................................................ 24
SPA on ASEAN Cooperation in Fisheries....................................................................... 25
2016-2020 ............................................................................................................................ 25
SPA for ASEAN Cooperation in Forestry........................................................................ 26
2016-2025 ............................................................................................................................ 26
ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework and Strategic Plan of Action .. 27
on Food Security in the ASEAN Region (2015- 2020) ................................................... 27

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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Gender Equality in ASEAN

Under the contexts of ASEAN, gender inequality is socially constructed in myriad

dimensions in which not only impedes human development but also deepens social conflicts
and vulnerabilities. Gender inequality reflects that women possess limited power in many
spheres of life namely inequality in accessibility of basic facilities, professional inequality,
ownership and household inequality puts women in cycle of disadvantage and
vulnerabilities. Pursuant to the definition of gender equality defined as “equal rights,
responsibilities, and opportunities of women, men, and girls and boys” (UN, 2001), the
governments of ASEAN countries have made efforts in integrating gender issues into
development variedly through legislative reform and gender-specific policies including
establishing specific governmental bureaus as the main mechanism in advancing women’s
status and gender equality.

On the occasion of 31st ASEAN Summit in the Philippines, the Heads of States or
Governments of ASEAN has adopted the “ASEAN Declaration on the Gender-Responsive
Implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and Sustainable Development
Goals”. They declared their commitment to ensure the realisation of a people-oriented and
people-centered ASEAN where all women and girls are able to reach the fullest of their
potentials.

As a result, with regional integration and a market capacity of more than 600 million people
representing vast opportunities, ASEAN countries’ governments should strengthen women’s
capacity, widen their accessibility and support their contribution towards the formal economic
sphere. An increasing level of formal economic participation will enable women to possess
equal access to resources, opportunities and facilities as their male counterparts which
would eventually bring about women’s empowerment and a narrowed gender gap.

In a recent study “Projected Gender Impact of the ASEAN Economic Community” conducted
by the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and the Friedrich- Ebert-Stiftung
(FES), in partnership with the ASEAN Secretariat, and with the support of the Australian
Government, the findings suggest that without targeted policy and programmatic
interventions, it is likely that large sectors of women will be excluded from the direct benefits
of the boost in trade, investment and skilled labor integration. The research finds that
liberalization measures will impact unevenly because of existing inequalities including based
on income, gender, geography, or ethnicity, access to resources and asset ownership will
limit women’s potential gains from trade.

1.2. Women in the food, agriculture and forestry sector in ASEAN

Agriculture is a major export sector in six out of ten ASEAN Member States: Cambodia, Lao
PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, and Viet Nam. While the major agricultural dominant
countries are at varying stages of socio-economic development, there are remarkable
similarities in the constraints faced by women in the food, agriculture and forestry sectors.
Nearly 75 per cent of women in Cambodia are engaged in agriculture, 69 per cent of women
are agricultural workers in Myanmar, followed by 48 per cent in Viet Nam, and 51 per cent in
Lao PDR.

Despite growing industrialization, agriculture and agro product subsectors like livestock and
forestry largely employ women. Women participate at equal levels of the value chain but do
not necessarily reach the export level equally.

Since the food, agriculture and forestry sector is very vulnerable to climate variability and

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climate change, from a gender perspective, women and youths are more vulnerable to
climate change. Women farmers face several challenges in moving beyond subsistence
level to access export markets in the ASEAN Member States. Rural poverty level is high and
women shoulder disproportionate amounts of physical workloads, both within households
and at the farm.

Despite women’s significant involvement in agriculture, land ownership and titling and
ownership of other productive assets remains largely with the men. Poor access to markets
and over dependence on middlemen makes it difficult for women to access outside markets
and receive a fair price for their products. Compounding this, is the fact that credit for
agricultural purposes is hard to access for women because their lack of asset ownership and
low education levels in some ASEAN Member States.

2. OBJECTIVES

The AMAF’s Approach to gender mainstreaming in the food, agriculture and forestry sectors
were developed to help ASEAN Member States:

- Provide guidance in understanding and introducing gender-responsive

policies and programmes at the regional level
- Promote and advocate for gender equality in food, agriculture and forestry
policies, programmes, systems and structures at the regional and national
levels.
- Strengthen and build the capacity of policy makers, field workers and farmers
on appropriate approaches to integrating gender in agriculture and climate
change
- Promote gender-equitable research supporting climate-smart agricultural
technologies.

The AMAF’S Approach to gender mainstreaming in the food, agriculture and forestry
sectors, is a non-binding endeavour to help in the process of building stronger gender
cooperation and integration in the region, by acting as common reference guide for future
cooperation to enhance gender equality in the food, agriculture and forestry sector in
ASEAN. The AMAF’s Approach takes into account regional and national contexts and
circumstances.

3. AMAF’S APPROACH TO GENDER MAINSTREAMING

3.1. AMAF’s Statement of Policy

Acknowledging that gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls are at the
center of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and that gender equality is
recognised and affirmed as a precondition for the realisation of sustainable development,
AMAF reaffirmed the need to mainstream a gender perspective and analysis, which include
targeted actions and investments in the formulation and implementation of policies, plans
and programmes of all the food, agriculture and forestry sector in ASEAN. These are aligned
with the commitments laid out in the ASEAN Declaration on the Gender-Responsive
Implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025.

AMAF further encouraged more investments to close resource gaps for achieving gender
equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

AMAF agreed to promote women's equal access to and full participation in decision-making
bodies and mechanisms involved in the implementation of all goals and targets of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development and Strategic Plan for ASEAN Cooperation in Food,

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Agriculture and Forestry (2016-2025) including its policy, plan and programme formulation,
implementation, and monitoring and evaluation for the sub-sectors of livestock, crop,
fisheries and forestry.

AMAF strongly encouraged relevant ASEAN Sectoral Bodies to promote the implementation
of the AMAF’s Approach in relation to the food, agriculture and forestry sectors.

3.2. Food, Agriculture and Forestry Cooperation in ASEAN

The overall gender issues that should to be considered in food, agriculture and forestry
sectors are:

- Ensure equal participation of women and men in all policy discussion,

capacity building activities and participation in all national and regional
activities.
- Ensure the collection of gender data for all data collection during the design,
implementation and monitoring and evaluation phase of all projects/activities.
- Provide opportunity for women to access different financial services such as
credit, savings, remittances and insurance schemes in order to provide them
with opportunities to scale up food, agriculture and forestry initiatives.
- Encourage and facilitate women’s access to education as well as their
participation in training aimed at improving women’s marketing, trading and
business skills.
- Provide leadership training to strengthen and amplify women’s voices and
leadership.
- Ensure equal participation of women and men in all decision making
processes.
- Coordinate with other ASEAN bodies to advocate for gender mainstreaming.

3.2.1. Livestock

The livestock sub-sector makes important contribution to national output, employment and
food security in the ASEAN region though its relative importance varies across the ASEAN
Member States. Under ASEAN Cooperation in Food, Agriculture and Forestry, the ASEAN
Working Group on Livestock (ASWGL) was established to provide a mechanism to develop
ASEAN Standards in Livestock for Vaccines, Good Animal Husbandry Practices and other
related activities in the sub-sector. In ASEAN, the major livestock products are poultry and
pork. Although production growth has been rapid, the region as a whole is a net importer of
both meat and dairy products. Only Thailand is a significant net exporter of meat (primarily
poultry). In the case of meat, however, imports are only a small (around 5%) though
increasing fraction of the total consumption. The expansion of the livestock industry has also
resulted in higher imports of animal feed. Share of agriculture in national output is declining
in the more advanced AMS while the share of livestock within agriculture is increasing. While
intensive and larger scale production and processing are emerging in the more advanced
states, smallholder livestock still dominates in the less developed AMS where they play key
roles in poverty alleviation, food security and nutrition and gender equality.

It is estimated that approximately 50-85 percent of total livestock production in AMS can be
attributed to smallholders. The percentage varies among and between countries depending
on several factors. At the smallholder level, the production system is mainly subsistence or
small market oriented enterprises, which largely depends on household feed resources and
labour. The systems often have poor production. Women play an important role in feeding,
cleaning and management of livestock, especially pigs, backyard poultry and small
ruminants, apart from undertaking other routine day-to-day activities related to their

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reproductive role in the household. Unlike many other regions, women in Southeast Asia are
also involved in retailing of livestock products, especially fresh meat. Men are mainly
involved in buying farm inputs, selling of livestock and livestock products, and managing
larger animals like cattle and buffalo. The involvement of men increases with the increasing
agricultural intensification and herd size.

Gender issues related to livestock throughout ASEAN are largely similar, with some variation
depending on culture and tradition. The main constraints that women face in the livestock
production and marketing system include, but are not limited to:

- Limited access to extension services, credit, technologies, trainings and

information
- Lack of control in decision making at the household, community, and local
institutions levels
- Limited control over income and asset and frequent loss of majority of the
income to men, who do not reinvest in the household
- Poor access to, control and ownership over natural resources, particularly
land
- Poor access to market
- Higher risk to food-borne and zoonotic disease because they are the primary
handlers of raw animal products.

While women are involved in care of livestock, men are the ones generally invited to attend
trainings, talk with extension workers/decision makers etc. In the process, men have access
to knowledge and skills related to livestock that are usually not shared with the women,
resulting in poor transfer of knowledge and technologies. Low representation of women in
local social institutions and service delivery mechanisms of government and non-
governmental agencies also makes access to knowledge and services for rural women
difficult. Because of little or no ownership of land among women, it is difficult for them to
access credit, resulting in limited scope for scaling up and scaling out their activities. It
appears that women in Southeast Asia have more varied bargaining capacity in the market
depending on location, tradition and culture. However, in the case of market access, rural
women face a number of constraints due to their lower literacy level and marketing skills, as
well as limitations to move outside the house premises (customary practices that prevent
them to leave the house, poor driving skills). This needs to be addressed to enhance their
access as well as their bargaining power in the marketplace.

Men have greater control over the income and assets deriving from livestock than women,
resulting in reduced opportunities for women to gain economic independence within the
family. On some occasions, income received from livestock are misused by men, and do not
benefit the family. There is also a need to increase the involvement of women in decision
making, not only at the household but also at the community level. Enhanced decision
making choices would encourage the formation of a more conducive environment for women
to have equal choices to that of men. With the emergence/re-emergence of zoonotic
diseases, women are more at risk to diseases (e.g. brucellosis, tuberculosis) because of
closer association with livestock that are managed under poor bio-secure environments and
the handling/preparation of raw livestock products.

According to the FAO, there are seven categories of key challenges that smallholder farmers
and especially women farmers face: Access and control over natural resources; Distribution
of roles and responsibilities based on sex and age; Access to technologies, training and
extension services; Access to financial services; Access to markets; Participation and
decision-making power; Occupational health and safety (FAO 2013)

The SPA for ASEAN Cooperation in Livestock 2016-2020 Strategic Thrust 4: Support

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smallholder livestock for poverty alleviation, improved nutrition, food security and gender
equality, includes some activities focusing on gender equality. The following gender issues
should be considered in accordance to the FAO seven categories of challenges when
formulating policies/programmes under the SPA for ASEAN Cooperation in Livestock 2016-
2020:

- Strengthen women’s technical skills by facilitating their systematic inclusion in

training in husbandry practices, processing and marketing of livestock
products, ensuring that training sessions are also provided in villages and
small rural communities.
- Provide opportunity for women to access different financial services such as
credit, savings, remittances and insurance schemes in order to provide them
with opportunities to scale up their livestock production.
- Encourage and facilitate women’s access to education as well as their
participation in training aimed at improving women’s marketing, trading and
business skills.
- Provide leadership training to strengthen and amplify women’s voices and
leadership within farmers’ cooperatives and producers’ organizations
- Acknowledge gender dimensions of occupational health and safety risks such
as exposure to zoonotic diseases, such as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
(HPAI) and other hazards associated with the handling of raw meat and dairy
products.

3.2.2. Crop

The ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Crops (ASWGC) is one of subsidiary bodies under
SOM-AMAF that oversees the ASEAN Cooperation on Crop Sub-Sector. Having a goal to
promote the development in this sub-sector, the ASWGC has carried out activities and
projects in accordance with its strategic objectives, reflected in the Strategic Plan of Action
(SPA) on Crops. A number of activities/ projects have been successful implemented and
many are continuing through networking arrangement as well as supported by dialogue and
development partners. The scope of the ASWGC covers: i) policy framework, ii) intra-and-
extra-ASEAN trade in crops commodities, iii) plant pest and disease control, iv) standards
development and its promotion, v) environment protection in crops production, and vi) food
security, food safety and nutrition.

Women’s increasing role in food and crop systems positions them as an essential player and
partner in this process. In ASEAN, women comprise over 50% of agriculture labor force.
Women and men farmers have different roles related to crop production, but against a
backdrop of changing economic opportunities and environmental conditions, the gender
division of labour may change. Women and men farmers often have different criteria for
choosing crops and varieties and performing activities such as selecting seed, cultivating,
harvesting and processing. These criteria may be based on differences in taste, storage
characteristics, time required for food preparation, labour requirements and marketability.
Women also often lack secure tenure and resource rights, access to resources, such as
land, finance, information, extension services and technology. Closing the gender gap in
access to and use of productive resources and services would unlock the agricultural
productivity potential of women, increasing farm output substantially. Studies on the yield
gap between male and female farmers provide estimates of a gap of 20-30 per cent on
average, and most attribute this to lower input use by women. According to FAO estimates,
the productivity gains resulting from ensuring equal access to fertilizer, seeds and
agricultural tools for women, could raise total agricultural output in developing countries by
an estimated 2.5 to 4 per cent, thereby reducing the number of hungry people by between
100 million and 150 million (FAO, 2011)

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The following gender issues should be considered when implementing the projects/activities
under the SPA for ASEAN Cooperation in Crop 2016-2020:

- Conduct gender analysis within all projects, programs and policies to assess
the implications and benefits of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies
and practices on men and women.
- Provide specific support to women led SMEs and cooperatives to improve
productivity, technology and product quality, to meet global market standards
and increase competitiveness.
- Provide training to both women and men on CSA technologies and practices,
and gender awareness.
- Facilitate women’s access to land and credit through transforming laws and
local practices.
- Enhance the capacity of the women and men members of farmer
organization and institutions women and men farmers to engage with the
private sector.

3.2.3. Fisheries and aquaculture

The fisheries sector plays an important role in the economic development of the ASEAN
Member States. Six ASEAN Countries- Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Viet Nam,
Thailand and Malaysia are among the world’s top fish producing countries, while four
countries- Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Viet Nam are among the world’s top
seaweed producing countries. Approximately 60 million people are employed in fisheries-
related ancillary services such as boat manufacturing, fishing gear making, fish processing
and marketing. The per capita fish consumption (33.4 kg/y) in ASEAN region is remarkably
higher than the world’s average (19.2 kg/yr) and about 38% of animal protein consumed in
the region is derived from fish, which highlights the importance of fisheries in nutritional and
food security in the region. The ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Fisheries (ASWGFi) is
tasked to oversee the identification, formulation, monitoring and reporting of fisheries
cooperation among AMS.

Acknowledging these gender issues the Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) Guidelines
include gender equity and equality as one of its 13 guiding principles and gender is also
considered in the more detailed section on responsible fisheries and sustainable
development (FAO 2015). The SSF Guideline recognizes that women and men’s fisheries
labor are often given different cultural and economic value, with women’s work often going
uncounted and not considered in fisheries governance, despite being vital to small-scale
fisheries. It also acknowledges the centrality of gender to other intersecting issues,
particularly human rights and well-being, food security, and climate change and it also
highlights how gender differences in power and decision making exist in small-scale
fisheries contexts and how those differences influence representative, fair, and sustainable
small-scale fisheries governance. Interventions which limit women’s role in fisheries and
aquaculture systems based on their reproductive and existing economic roles may actually
maintain a status quo which may be highly inequitable for rural and indigenous women.

The following gender issues should be considered when implementing the SPA for ASEAN
Cooperation in fisheries 2016-2020:

- Empower women in community based fisheries management through

capacity building on various technical and legal issues.
- Provide fishers with access to fishing resources, markets, financial, and
marketing resources
- Encourage advocacy of equal pay for fisheries labor.
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 - Encourage strengthening capabilities of women's unions and organizations
through resource allocation mechanisms and by increasing their management
responsibilities.
- Encourage women to participate in other non-land based and downstream
aquaculture-related activities such as seed production and the collection and
processing of feed and aquatic products.
- Monitor changes in resources management to assess the extent to which
existing formal and informal frameworks enable women’s agency, voice,
claims and opportunities in fisheries to determine priorities for change.
- Ensure support for research on gender in fisheries.

3.2.4. Forestry

Forests play an important role in the production of wood and other products and provide a
home to a diminishing, yet significant number of people in the sub-region and offer
employment in, among other things, production of furniture and other wood products,
protected area management, and plantation development. Forests are important for local,
indigenous and rural people as they provide foods, energy and shelters to millions of them in
ASEAN region.

The ASEAN Senior Officials on Forestry (ASOF) is responsible body for forestry cooperation
in ASEAN. ASOF has set up vision of cooperation of which “Forest resources are
sustainably managed at the landscape level to meet societal needs, both socio-economically
and culturally, of the present and future generations, and to contribute positively to
sustainable development”. The goal for the forestry sector in ASEAN is to “enhance
sustainable forest management for the continuous production of forest goods and services in
a balanced way and ensuring forest protection and conservation of biological diversity, as
well as optimise their utilisation, compatible with social and ecological sustainability.

Across Southeast Asia, 300 million people live in rural areas and up to 70 million people rely
on forests for their livelihoods, nutrition and food security. Men and women often differently
use and depend on non-wood forest products, with women often disproportionately relying
on these products. Women contribute to the forest sector in many ways, both formal and
informal, including through agroforestry, watershed management, tree improvement and
forest protection. Women make up a significant proportion of the labour force in forest
industries worldwide, especially in tree nursery work but also in activities ranging from
logging to wood processing. Although women contribute substantially to the forest sector,
their roles are not fully recognized or documented, and their wages and working conditions
are usually inferior to those of men. Moreover, women rarely have equal involvement to men
in the formulation, planning and implementation of forest policies. There are also gender
differentiated impacts of deforestation: for men, deforestation may lead to a loss of income,
while for women, it may increase their labour burden, especially in the time taken to gather
fuelwood.

The economic, social, cultural, political and legal settings can differentially affect the rights of
women and men to control forest resources and own land. Even where women have
ownership rights to forests, they may not have equal access to opportunities for forest-
generated income. Commonly, women may have access to NTFPs but not to wood
resources, which is often the domain of men and also the most commercially valuable
product in most forests. This gender differentiation has major implications for forest
management and also genderbased power structures in communities. A study conducted by
the World Bank found that giving women a bigger say in managing forest significantly
improved conservation outcomes (World Bank 2012).

Another important stakeholders are the indigenous communities living in forest areas who
12
depend on forest for their survival. World Bank estimates there are about 60 million forest
dependent indigenous peoples, which researchers believe is an underestimation (Tauli-
Corpuz, 2011). The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) fully
recognizes the importance of land, territories and resources for Indigenous Peoples. This is
further emphasized by the recognition of Indigenous Peoples right to Free Prior and
Informed Consent (FPIC) as requirement to safeguard our right over our land, territories and
resources and our right to self determination. Indigenous women are the most vulnerable to
climate change effects and the significance of their traditional knowledge, values and
practices, and the need to collectively build on what is left to foster community resilience,
both for the present and future generations.

The following gender issues should be considered when implementing the SPA for ASEAN
Cooperation in Forestry 2016-2025:

1. Encourage AMS to express gender responsive forestry policies in tenure,

access rights, representation in capacity-building opportunities.
2. Initiate dialogue and organize consultation meetings at national and
subnational levels to discuss relevant gender issues and gaps in existing
forest policies and practices
3. Engage civil society organizations, community based organizations
government institutions and relevant women’s networks to ensure inclusive
approaches to the development and implementation of gender-responsive
forest policies
4. Organize gender-awareness seminars and workshops for forestry officials,
including decision-makers and policy committee members, to ensure a
deeper understanding of the relevance of the concerns of women in forest
policies and programmes
5. Strengthen the capacities of institutions working in gender and gender focal
points within institutions to engage at a substantive level in forestry-related
consultations and in policy review and development processes
6. Encourage consultation with stakeholders in existing management structures
to determine gender power imbalances and to facilitate the creation of more
gender-balanced forestry institutions. This is important to increase women’s
representation in leadership roles and their participation in decision-making
7. Analyze employment trends between men and women, specifically the
percentage of women with a forestry-related education, as well as the
recruitment and retention rates of women in the forestry sector.
8. Ensure equitable sharing of benefits (for e.g. payments for environmental
services) between women and men, where relevant.
9. Empower women by building their capacity to participate in forest land
rehabilitation/restoration schemes.
10. Monitor forest policies through gender lens in emerging forest governance
frameworks.

3.2.5. Climate change

Southeast Asia is highly vulnerable to climate change as a large proportion of the population
and economic activity is concentrated along coastlines; the region is heavily reliant on
agriculture for livelihoods; there is a high dependence on natural resources and forestry; and
the level of extreme poverty remains high. Women in developing countries are particularly
vulnerable to climate change because they are highly dependent on local natural resources
for their livelihood. Women charged with securing water, food and fuel for cooking and
heating face the greatest challenges. Women experience unequal access to resources and
decision-making processes, with limited mobility in rural areas. It is thus important to identify
gender-sensitive strategies that respond to these crises for women.
13
Women and men have different access to the resources (land, credit, agricultural technology
etc.) to cope with the impacts of climate change: where women have fewer resources than
men, this increases their vulnerability and undermines their capacity to adapt to a changing
climate. Climate change adaptation and mitigation measures (for e.g. social protection
mechanisms, weather-based insurance schemes, seasonal climate forecasts and measures
related to forests or soil carbon storage) often do not address gender issues and specifically,
women’s constraints to participating in these measures. Women commonly face higher risks
in responding to natural hazards and greater burden from the impacts of climate change.
Although they have intimate local knowledge and are managers of common natural
resources, they are often left out of the picture when decisions on climate action are made.

Member States at the annual Conference of the Parties (COP23), convening from 6 – 17
November 2017 in Bonn, Germany, adopted a new roadmap to incorporate gender equality
and women’s empowerment in climate change discourse and actions. The creation of a
“Gender Action Plan” was agreed upon by the Parties at COP22, to bolster the role of
women in climate action. The aim of the Gender Action Plan is to ensure that women can
influence climate change decisions, and that women and men are represented equally in all
aspects of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as a way to
increase its effectiveness. The Gender Action Plan sets out, in five priority areas, the
activities that will help achieve this objective.

- Increasing knowledge and capacities of women and men through workshops

and information exchanges
- Increase equal and meaningful participation of women in national delegations
- Increase integration of the gender considerations—such as addressing
women’s specific vulnerability to natural disasters as well as understanding
women’s role in agriculture and food production, and supporting women
entrepreneurs in the energy sector—into the areas of work of all Parties to the
Convention
- Increase climate-related financial resources that integrate gender priorities
and reflect the needs of women and girls.
- Improve tracking of the implementation of the gender-related decisions.

ASEAN Working Group on Climate Change (AWGCC) was established to oversee the
implementation of the relevant action lines in the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC)
Blueprint. One of the objective of the ASCC Blueprint 2025 is to realise a resilient
community with enhanced capacity and capability to adapt and respond to social and
economic vulnerabilities, disasters, climate change as well as emerging threats, and
challenges.

The following gender issues should be considered when implementing the ASCC Blueprint
2025

- Conduct an in-depth and evidence-based analysis of women’s and men’s

roles in sectors impacted by, and their strategies for coping with climate
change
- Integrate gender perspectives throughout climate change programming in
order to effectively address both women’s and men’s needs and priorities,
ensure the full and meaningful participation of women and achieve gender-
equitable outcomes
- Ensure mitigation and adaptation efforts to address sources of gender-based
vulnerability, gender inequality and poverty
- Incorporate gender perspectives into national and international climate
chance finance mechanisms and strategies.

14
3.2.6. Food security and nutrition

ASEAN has sought to ensure food security for the region, enhance agricultural productivity,
and maintain sustainability of natural resources. In recognition of the rapid changes in the
global market and their impacts on the agriculture and forestry sectors, as well as of the
structural changes within these sectors, as the result of industrialization, the Hanoi Plan of
Action (HPA) and its successor Vientiane Action Programme (VAP) on the Food, Agriculture
and Forestry Sectors, has called for “Enhance Food Security and Global Competitiveness of
ASEAN’s Food, Agriculture and Forestry Products through developing appropriate
technologies to increase productivity and by promoting intra- and extra-ASEAN trade and
greater private sector investment in the food, agriculture and forestry sectors ”.
Food and nutrition insecurity is a gender justice issue. Low status and lack of access to
resources mean that women and girls are the most disadvantaged by the inequitable global
economic processes that govern food systems and by global trends such as climate change.
Evidence shows strong correlations between gender inequality and food and nutrition
insecurity. Gender relations between and among men and women are important in
determining vulnerability to food insecurity and malnutrition. Gender discrimination in the
allocation of household resources, including those related to nutrition, may result in an
increased incidence of malnutrition among women and girls: this may be compounded in
times of crises. Greater vulnerability to food insecurity in times of crisis compounds the
problems of food insecurity
The analysis by Institute of Development Studies (IDS 2014), on Gender and Food Security
emphasizes that the need for those designing food and nutrition security policies and
programmes to go beyond a focus on the first pillar of ensuring the availability of food in poor
countries through ‘short-term’ strategies of food assistance and longer-term strategies
focused on boosting agricultural production, which are reliant on industrial models and trade
liberalisation. The ‘four pillars’ of food security – availability, access, utilisation and stability –
that were identified at the World Summit on Food Security in 2009 provide useful entry
points for a more comprehensive analysis of the problem of food insecurity and for
addressing thecurrent, insufficient, policy responses.

The following gender issues should be considered when implementing the ASEAN
integrated Food Security Framework SPA on Food Security 2015-2020:

- Enhance coherence between policies on gender, agriculture, nutrition, health,

trade and other relevant areas, through national and regional processes;
- Recognise and respect the local knowledge of farmers, including women
farmers, for developing locally relevant food and nutrition security solutions
which are gender just;
- Develop ecologically sound approaches to food production, such as agro-
ecology, that promote sustainable farming and women’s empowerment;
- Promote the implementation of all people’s rights to food and, in particular,
women’s rights to other resources, such as land, at the local level; and
- Engage women and men members of farmer cooperatives and SMEs in
challenging the inequitable distribution of food

3.2.7. Integrating gender into food, agricultural and forestry value chains

Closing the “gender gap” in agriculture can result in major production gains: the FAO report
on The State of Food and Agriculture 2010-2011 determined that women’s yields could grow

15
by 20–30 percent if the gender gap in accessing agricultural inputs were closed, an increase
that could raise total agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5–4 percent, which
could in turn reduce the number of food insecure people in the world by 12–17 percent
(FAO, 2011). Within this context, integrating gender considerations into the development of
agrifood value chains is not only necessary from a human rights perspective; it is also a
prerequisite to ensuring sustainable growth in areas of intervention.

Value chain programs designed with gender equitable principles can encompass both
competitiveness and gender equality and lead to poverty reduction. It is important to map
gender relations and roles along the value chain. The process is based on an accurate
understanding of existing gender relations in a specific country context and for specific food,
agriculture and forestry products. It should include mapping man’s and women’s
participation and benefits along the chain and identifying the factors that shape the gender
patterns in value chain operations. Gender dynamics are inextricably bound up with the
value chain development cycle: value chain efficiency is highly dependent on strong linkages
and positive collaboration among actors, and women are important stakeholders all along
value chains, though they are often invisible or overlooked.

The FAO Gender-Sensitive Value Chain (GSVC) Framework focuses on the individual level
and looks into the gender based constraints which are the underlying causes of value chain
inefficiency. The aim of GSVC is to identify gender based constrains at every node of the
value chain, such as participation in the chain, access to and control over productive
resrouces and access to and control over benefits (FAO 2016)

The following gender issues should be considered when integrating gender into agricultural
value chains:

- Conduct research to understand man’s and women’s roles and

responsibilities in agricultural value chains
- Address the capacity building needs of women in the agriculture value chain
- Support women’s economic advancement
- Promote gender equitable market-driven solutions
- Design equitable benefit-sharing mechanism
- Include women in defining the problem and solution
- Provide opportunities for women to gain access to inputs and market
information
- Assist women’s group to purchase equipment to expand processing
- Assist women to overcome mobility constraints and social barriers
- Encourage more women-owned enterprises to join trade association
- Address safer working environment/work space for women’s wellbeing

4. REGIONAL STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN

4.1. Mainstreaming gender in food, agriculture and forestry

There are important gender perspectives in all aspects of food, agriculture and forestry.
Gender inequalities in access to resources, including land, credit, extension services,
information and technology, must be taken into account in developing food, agriculture and
forestry policies, programmes and activities. Women make up a large number of the poor in
communities that are highly dependent on local natural resources for their livelihood and are
disproportionately vulnerable to and affected by climate change. Women in rural areas in
developing countries have the major responsibility for household water supply and energy
for cooking and heating, as well as for food security, and are negatively affected by drought,
uncertain rainfall and deforestation. Because of their roles, unequal access to resources and

16
limited mobility, women in many contexts are disproportionately affected by natural
disasters, such as floods, fires, and mudslides. It is important to identify gender-sensitive
strategies for responding to the environmental and humanitarian crises caused by climate
change.

ASEAN Member States should be encouraged to mainstream gender perspectives into their
national policies, action plans and other measures on sustainable development and climate
change, through carrying out systematic gender analysis, collecting and utilizing sex-
disaggregated data, establishing gender-sensitive indicators and benchmarks and
developing practical tools to support increased attention to gender perspectives.
Consultation with and participation of women in climate change initiatives should be
considered and the role of women’s groups and networks strengthened.

4.2. Framework for a strategy for mainstreaming gender in food, agriculture and
forestry

The gender mainstreaming approach in food, agriculture and forestry identifies the overall
strategic objective as: “To facilitate and promote resilience agricultural policies, structures
and programmes to promote gender equality towards sustainable development by 2025”.

4.2.1. Approach and advocacy

The objective is to promote and advocate for gender equality in food, agriculture and forestry
policies, programmes, systems and structures at the regional and national levels. The
following activities may be considered:

- Intensify relevant collaboration and information sharing with regional and

national bodies, organisations and development partners working in the area
of gender
- Advocate for gender equality in food, agriculture and forestry policies with
top-level management in relevant ASEAN sectoral working groups
- Promote the sharing of experiences and lessons learnt by awarding
opportunities to women to take part in relevant regional and international
forum on food, agriculture and forestry
- Ensure effective participation of gender experts and women’s organisations in
consultative processes for the formulation on adaptation and mitigation
strategies and policies in food, agriculture and forestry
- Promote conservation agriculture and climate smart agriculture and
(sustainable agriculture) related activities that integrate male and female
smallholder farmers designed to address gender disparities
- Promote the production of materials and publications with the objective of
addressing gender based stereotypes and cultural injustice in food,
agriculture and forestry
- Promote an enabling environment for gender mainstreaming in food,
agriculture and forestry.
- Identify existing policies on gender in the regional and national levels

4.2.2. Capacity Building

The objective is to strengthen and build the capacity of policy makers, field workers and
farmers on appropriate approaches to integrating gender in agriculture and climate change.
The following activities may be considered:

- Conduct assessment to identify the capacity needs of all stakeholders

17
 - Support Member States to develop training modules on climate smart
agriculture and gender
- Support Member States to develop capacity for gender impact assessment
mechanisms.
- promote training of female agricultural extension agents
- Facilitate the development of gender-sensitive data bases and systems to
consolidate women’s knowledge and experience in sustainable resource use
and in particular on agricultural production systems
- Facilitate the capacity building of team of trainers/focal persons on climate
smart agriculture and gender.

4.2.3. Institutional Framework

The objective is to strengthen linkages between regional organisations and national

institutions responsible for gender, agriculture and climate change at regional and national
levels. The following activities may be considered:

- Develop a situation analysis of selected regional and national institutions to

determine their capacity to integrate a gender perspective into agriculture and
climate change initiatives.
- Promote exchange of best practices of institutions and organisations that
support female farmers’ leadership in farmer cooperatives and association
- Strengthen the increased participation of national gender machineries and
mainstreaming of gender in the development of the national agriculture and
investment frameworks
- Strengthen the organisational structure from the national to the local level,
harmonization and localization of plans, and enhancement of monitoring and
evaluation mechanism.

4.2.4. Building and strengthening strategic partnership

The objective is to create and strengthen strategic partnerships and tripartite relations at
international and regional levels including public private partnerships. The following activities
may be considered:

- Conduct study tours/visits to learn and share experiences on gender,

agriculture and climate change initiatives
- Provide a platform to identify and engage potential fund sources specific to
gender mainstreaming activities

4.2.5. Information, Communication and Publicity

The objective is to establish an information management system focusing on gender,

agriculture and climate change. The following activities may be considered:

- Improve awareness and avail adequate agriculture and climate change

information especially targeting women, youths and men
- Develop knowledge-based information management system focusing on
gender, agriculture and climate change
- Establish and disseminate gender sensitive information and materials on
agriculture and climate change

4.2.6. Research, Innovation and technology

18
The objective is to promote gender-equitable research supporting climate smart agricultural
technologies. The following activities may be considered:

- Conduct baselines on gender, conservation agriculture practices and

technologies in the Member States.
- Strengthen research to obtain more comprehensive data on gender aspects
of agriculture and climate change to support climate smart agriculture.
- Intensify collaborative and participative research and development including
the upgrading of relevant and appropriate technologies, information and
knowledge systems to ensure that gender equality issues are addressed.

5. IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS

The recommendations in the AMAF’s Approach serve as reference guides for AMS in their
efforts to promote gender equality in the food, agriculture and forestry sectors. SOM-AMAF,
with support from ATWGARD, ASWGL, ASWGC, ASWGFi, ASOF and other relevant
Working groups may accordingly be guided where relevant by the recommendations in the
AMAF’s Approach. The ATWGARD, in close coordination with the ASEAN Secretariat may
need to seek support from ASEAN partners and different stakeholders in the implementation
of the AMAF’s Approach as reference guides.

REFERENCES

ASEAN, 2017: Declaration on the Gender-Responsive Implementation of the ASEAN

Community Vision 2025 and Sustainable Development Goals
ASEAN, 2016: Projected Gender Impacted of the ASEAN Economic Community
ASEAN, 2015: Vision and Strategic Plan for ASEAN Cooperation in Food, Agriculture and
Forestry, 2016-2025
ASEAN, 2010: Ha Noi Declaration on the Enhancement of Welfare and Development of
ASEAN Women and Children
Black, R. E., L. H. Allen, Z. A. Bhutta, L. E. Caulfield, M. de Onis, M. Ezzati, C. Mathers, J.
Rivera, 2008 for the Maternal and Child Undernutrition Study Group: Maternal and

19
 Child Undernutrition: Global and Regional Exposures and Health Consequences.
The Lancet 371(9608):243–260
FAO. 2016. Developing gender-sensitive value chains – A guiding framework. Rome
FAO, 2013: CEDAW- Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against
women. A tool for gender – sensitive agriculture and rural development policy and
programme formulation
FAO (2013) Understanding and integrating gender issues into livestock projects and
programmes: A checklist for practitioners.
FAO, 2012: How to mainstream gender in forestry
FAO, 2008 The World Bank and IFAD: Gender in Agriculture, Sourcebook

FAO, 2008: World Fish Center and World Bank: Small-scale capture fisheries – A global
overview with emphasis on developing countries: a preliminary report of the Big
Numbers Project. FAO and Worl dFish Center, Rome & Penang, 62 pages

Porter, M. (2006) Gender and fisheries: A global perspective. Paper presented at Global
Coasts: Gender, Fisheries and Contemporary Issues, International Symposium,
University of Tromso, Norway, June 2006

UN, 2010: UN Joint programmes integrating gender issues in food security, agriculture and
rural development

Tauli-Corpuz, Victoria. 2011. Indigenous women, climate change and forests. Baguio City,
Philippines: Tebtebba Foundation.

World Bank, World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development,
Washington, DC, 2012

World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization & International Fund for Agricultural
Development, 2009. Gender in agriculture source book

20
 Annex 1: Recommended gender intervention in sectoral SPAs

The following SPAs were reviewed to formulate the recommendations for the approach.

Strategic Plan for ASEAN Cooperation in Food, Agriculture and Forestry

(2016- 2025)

Strategic Description Activities Gender Interventions

Thrust
ST1 Enhance quantity and 1.13. Standardise and Develop harmonized
quality of production harmonise concepts, concept and methods
with sustainable, methods and on integrating gender
‘green’ technologies, presentation of national in Food, Agriculture
resource management statistics and strengthen and Forestry sectors
systems, and minimise technical capacity of
pre- and postharvest AMS to conduct multi
losses and waste country
studies and undertake
accurate situational
analysis and planning.
ST2 Enhance trade 2.5. Established Assure participation of
facilitation, economic business linkages women cooperatives
integration and market among the potential and organizations
access agricultural cooperatives
and
farmers organisation.
ST3 Ensure food security, 3.5 Improve food Participation of women
food safety, better security and nutrition in the decision making
nutrition and equitable through diversifying food and implementation of
distribution sources and this activity is crucial.
strengthening the quality
and variety of food
production and
improving the food value
chains.
ST4 Increase resilience to 4.7 Integrate gender Build capacity to
climate change, natural issues into climate integrate gender
disasters and other friendly agriculture,
shocks fishery and forestry
practices to reduce the
higher vulnerability of
women to the social and
economic
impact of natural
disasters and climate
change.

21
ST5 Assist resource 5.5 Implement While considering the
constrained small competition policies to level playing field,
producers and SMEs to ensure a level playing there is need to
improve productivity, field for producers and consider gender equity
technology and product SMEs and to prevent issues as well.
quality, to meet global unfair exploitation by
market standards and large firms with market
increase power in
competitiveness in line integrated supply
with the ASEAN Policy chains.
Blueprint on SME
Development
ST6 Strengthen ASEAN joint 6.2 Present ASEAN Present ASEAN
approaches on common position on the common position on
international and issues affecting FAF the gender equality in
regional issues sector in regional and food, agriculture and
global fora forestry issues
affecting FAF sector in
regional and global
fora
ST7 Promote sustainable 7.3 Promote dialogue Promote regional
forest management with the private sector dialogue on gender
about improving quality issues in sustainable
& efficiency of the timber forest management
industry andprocessing
of other forest product

SPA for ASEAN Cooperation in Agricultural Research and Development

2016-2020

Strategic Description Activities Gender Interventions

Thrust
ST1 Enhance quantity and 1.2 Increase private Recognize that ‘private
quality of production sector participation in sector’ also includes
with sustainable, ‘green’
policy discussions, women owned SMEs
technologies, resource programme and project
management systems, formulation, research
and minimise pre- and and development (R&D)
post-harvest losses andand provide incentives
waste and foster an enabling
environment for public-
private partnerships
(PPPs) towards
enhancing productivity
and quality
1.6 Increase Conduct collaborative
investments in research on gender
collaborative R&D and agriculture in
activities, and strengthen AMS.
existing regional
collaboration among
AMS
ST3 Ensure food security, 3.1 Promote nutrition Focus on women as
food safety, better education and consumer agents of change for

22
 nutrition and equitable awareness of healthy advocating healthy
distribution diets diets and consuming
micronutrient-rich
foods
ST4 Increase Resilience to 4.1.1 Build the capacity Build their capacity to
Climate Change, of ATWGARD in integrate gender into
Natural Disasters and proposal writing to the proposals.
Other Shocks explore funding support
from the climate funds.
4.4 Integrate gender Build capacity to
issues into climate integrate gender into
friendly agriculture, the existing and new
fishery and forestry programs and policies.
practices to reduce the
higher vulnerability of
women to the social and
economic impact of
natural disasters and
climate change. (SPFAF
4.7)
ST6 Strengthen ASEAN joint 6.2 Present ASEAN Engagement of
approaches on common position on the ATWGARD to present
international and issues affecting FAF ASEAN common
regional issues sector in various position on the issues
Regional and affecting Gender and
International Fora FAF

SPA on ASEAN Cooperation in Livestock

2016-2020

Strategic Description Activities Gender Interventions

Thrust
ST1 Enhance intra- and 1.1 Improved policy and Advocate appropriate
extra ASEAN trade in regulatory environment authorities to address
livestock commodities to facilitate trade social and specifically
gender issues of
livestock production
and processing.
ST2 Disease control and
food safety to expand
trade and protect
human health
ST3 Sustainable 3.1. More productive and Undertake research on
productivity globally competitive gendered impact on
improvement, natural livestock sector livestock sector due to
resources climate change.
management and
livestock impact on the
environment and
climate change
ST4 Support smallholder 4.1. Livestock serve as Activity 4.1.1. Make
livestock for poverty an important pathway for policy advocacy for low
alleviation, food poverty alleviation, interest livestock credit

23
 security, nutrition, and improved nutrition and accessible to the poor,
gender equality gender equality especially women,
through micro-credit,
SME and other
programmes designed
for poverty alleviation.

SPA on ASEAN Cooperation on Crops

2016-2020

Strategic Description Activities Gender Interventions

Thrust
ST1 Enhance quantity and 1.6 Provide Collaborate with private
quality of production institutional mechanisms sector to develop
with sustainable, and appropriate ‘Business Case for
‘green’ technologies, incentives for PPP in Gender Equality in this
resource management R&D and technology fast growing crops sub-
systems, and minimise diffusion, collaborating sectors’
pre- and post-harvest with the private sector to
losses and waste; identify priority, high pay
off research issues, and
utilise it as a channel for
both technology
generation and diffusion.
ST2 Enhance trade In accordance with the
facilitation, economic WTO’s Buenos Aires
integration and market Declaration on Women
access and Trade 2017,
ensure equal
participation in trade
related issues.
ST3 Ensure food security, 3.4 Improve food security Engage with women
food safety, better and nutrition through groups and SMEs to
nutrition and equitable diversifying food sources advocate for
distribution and strengthening the diversification of food
quality and variety of sources.
food production and
improving the food value
chains
ST4 Increase resilience to 4.2 Promote access to Build capacity on
climate change, natural climate finance integrating gender into
disasters and other resources to support proposals to access
shocks climate smart/friendly climate finance.
agriculture
ST5 Assist resource Similar to the Livestock
constrained small SPA, Advocate for low
producers and SMEs to interest credit
improve productivity, accessible to the poor,
technology and product especially women,
quality, to meet global through micro-credit,
market standards and SME and other
increase programmes designed
competitiveness. for poverty alleviation.

24
ST6 Strengthen ASEAN 6.2 Present ASEAN Coordinating and
joint approaches on common position on the strengthening joint
international and issues affecting Crop positions on gender
regional issues sector in regional and issues at international
international fora and regional fora and
organizations

SPA on ASEAN Cooperation in Fisheries

2016-2020

Strategic Description Activities Gender Interventions

Thrust
ST1 Enhance quantity and 1.1.4. Consultation with Gender equal
quality of production relevant stakeholders to participation of fishers
with sustainable, identify and address and women leaders of
‘green’ technologies, investment needs private sectors in the
resource management (sustainable production, stakeholder
systems, and minimize management systems, discussions
pre- and post-harvest post-harvest investment).
losses and waste
1.4.1 Update and Ensure equal
strengthen national participation of women
fisheries policy, legal and and men
institutional frameworks
through consultation and
engagement of
government agencies,
the private sector,
fishers, civil society and
other relevant
stakeholders [refer to
POA 7]
ST2 Enhance trade 2.4.2 Promote strategic Include Women farmer
facilitation, economic partnership with ASEAN groups and
integration and market Fisheries cooperatives organizations
access; and farmers
organization, producers,
consumers and traders.
ST3 Ensure food security, 3.2.2. Collaborate with Collaborate with
food safety, better relevant ASEAN bodies ASEAN bodies such as
nutrition and equitable in finalizing and ASCC
distribution implementing the ASEAN Gender equal
Food Safety Policy, engagement on the
accelerate the Food Safety Policy
establishment of food
safety standards
ST4 Increase resilience to 4.1.1. Promote Conduct research on
climate change, collaboration between gender and climate
natural disasters and concerned AMS and change issues in the
other shocks; Partners fisheries sectors.

25
ST5 Assist resource 5.3.1 Ensure that Emphasize gender
constrained small national programs and issues while discussing
producers and SMEs policies on fisheries and social issues.
to improve aquaculture address
productivity, social, economic and
technology and environmental aspects of
product quality, to sustainable fisheries and
meet global market aquaculture to improve
standards and food security, livelihoods,
increase employment and poverty
competitiveness. alleviation
ST6 Strengthen ASEAN 6.2.1. Promote dialogue Include AMS common
joint approaches on among AMS to establish positions in gender
international and common positions on issues in fisheries.
regional issues Fisheries issues that
affecting the FAF impact the ASEAN
sector Region

SPA for ASEAN Cooperation in Forestry

2016-2025

Strategic Description Activities Gender Interventions

Thrust
ST1 Enhance quantity and 1.3. Enhancement of While reviewing
quality of production Forest Management customary and
with sustainable, ‘green’ involving Community statutory tenure
technologies, resource living within and arrangements, highlight
management systems, surrounding the Forest gender equality and
and minimise pre- and for the Sustainability of equity issues.
post-harvest losses and the Forest and
waste; Prosperity of the People.
1.4 Adoption of In most communities
Sustainable women have indepth
Management Practices knowledge of Non-
for Non-wood Forest wood Forest Product
Products, such as therefore it is
Medicinal Plants, imperative to involve
Rattan, Bamboo, etc. them in the design of
the sustainable
management practices.
ST2 Enhance trade 2.2. Enhancement of Conduct a value chain
facilitation, economic Co-operation in Forest assessment on forest
integration and market Products Development. products with a gender
access lens. Involve women in
the assessment to
capitalize on their
knowledge and skills
for Forest Product
Development.
ST3 Ensure food security, 3.1 Integration of Assess the gendered
food safety, better Climate Change in the impacts and risks of
nutrition and equitable Forestry Sector planned climate
distribution change mitigation and
adaptation in the

26
 forestry sector.
ST4 Increase resilience to 4.2. Enhancement of Facilitate cross-
climate change, natural Sharing Experiences learning among AMS in
disasters and other and Lessons Leaned. gender, forestry and
shocks climate change,
ASEAN Working Group
on social forestry
ST5 Assist resource 5.2. Enhancement of Adopt and articulate
constrained small ASEAN Joint ASEAN common
producers and SMEs to Approaches in positions on Gender
improve productivity, Addressing Regional and Forestry and
technology and product and International influence the outcomes
quality, to meet global Forestry Issues. of the deliberations at
market standards and international and
increase regional fora
competitiveness in line
with the ASEAN Policy
Blueprint on SME
Development;

ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework and Strategic Plan of Action
on Food Security in the ASEAN Region (2015- 2020)

Strategic Description Activities Gender Interventions

Thrust
ST1 Strengthen Food 1.2. Sustainability of the Create platform for
Security, including food supply chain with sharing social and
Emergency/ Shortage enhancement to the gender issues in seed
Relief Arrangement seed industry industry
ST2 Promote conducive food 2.1.3. Gather data and Analysis can focus on
market and trade conduct analysis thereof gender issues on food
to support the AFSRB market and trade,
technical meetings, specifically in rice and
such as policy scenarios fish.
for the rice market,
impact assessment of
contract growing on
small-scale farmers, and
related studies
ST3 Strengthen integrated 3.1.3. Conduct timely, The assessment can
food security information periodic assessment of also include social and
systems to effectively the state and outlook for gender issues related
forecast, plan and rice and other key food to rice and other key
monitor supplies and commodities in ASEAN food commodities in
utilization for basic food ASEAN
commodities

ST4 Promote sustainable 4.1.7. Expand and Capacity development

food production promote farmers’ on gender issues in
knowledge beyond agribusiness and
agriculture to include entrepreneurship
agribusiness and
entrepreneurship

27
ST5 Encourage greater 5.1.1. Prepare Equal participation
investment in food and roadmaps for demand- women groups,
agri-based industry to oriented agri-based and cooperatives and
enhance food security food regional value SMEs in preparation of
chains the roadmap.
ST6 Identify and address 6.1.1. Conduct a study Study should also
emerging issues related on the long-term include section on
to food security implications of bio- social, gender
energy development implication.
and food security in
AMS.
ST7 Utilize Nutrition 7.1.1. Conduct regional This workshop should
Information to support workshops to integrate gender
evidence-based food identify/define key issues in nutrition.
security and agriculture nutrition information and
policies indicators,
collection/compilation
methodologies required
for regular food security
monitoring and policy
development
ST8 Identify policies, 8.1. Awareness and Participation of women
institutional and recognition on is critical in these
governance importance of nutrition awareness raising
mechanisms for by key stakeholders of activities.
nutrition-enhancing food, agriculture and
agriculture development forestry
in AMS
ST9 Develop and strengthen 9.1. Nutrition-enhancing Build capacity to
nutrition-enhancing food, agriculture and integrate gender into
food, agriculture and forestry policies and the Nutrition-
forestry programmes developed enhancing food,
policies/programs and and strengthened agriculture and forestry
build capacity for their policies and
implementation, programmes
monitoring and
evaluation

28