Making rice work for women

This article is brought to you by the Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration (FOLUR) Impact Program.

Did you know that women play critical, yet often unrecognized and unpaid, roles in producing one of the world’s most important crops – rice?

Rice nourishes 3.5 billion people, and women contribute to food security, health and nutritional outcomes for their families and well beyond. Evidence shows that we can improve outcomes at multiple levels by increasing the resources controlled by women. 

On GLF Live a few weeks ago, we learned about women’s role in rice with Ranjitha Puskur, principal scientist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Wiene Andriyana, technical analyst for the Environment Unit at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Country Office in Indonesia, moderated by Patti Kristjanson, lead for gender initiatives for FOLUR.

In short, two crucial ways to make rice value chains more gender-equitable are to focus efforts on appropriate technologies targeted to women’s needs, as well as to provide support to collective action and institutional and policy changes that are enabling.

By sharing lessons and cultivating mentorship among women in agriculture, we can bridge knowledge gaps, boost confidence and not only help women directly but further strengthen their families, communities and food systems.

Read the highlights from the conversation, or rewatch the full live stream.

What approaches and interventions are being tried to create more sustainable rice value chains that focus on helping women?

Andriyana: One of our primary strategies for women’s empowerment will be capacity building through intensive training sessions. This will equip women with essential knowledge and skills in sustainable farming practices, financial management and leadership.

For example, the FOLUR project will offer training on the system of rice intensification, which will help women adopt more efficient and eco-friendly farming techniques. This is expected to boost productivity and promote environmental sustainability.

System leadership and capacity-building training involve participants from various levels of governance and community leadership, including local women champions, farmers, and youths. Developing leadership skills aims to advance the mainstreaming of integrated landscape management (ILM).

Another way toward women’s empowerment is connecting women farmers to markets in the value chain. The FOLUR project aims to facilitate direct market access, helping women to sell their produce at better prices and reducing their reliance on intermediaries.

Support networks and mentorship programs will also be crucial. The project plans to create opportunities for women to share experiences, learn from each other and build their confidence. Mentorship from successful female farmers and entrepreneurs will inspire and guide women in their agricultural process. 

What kinds of strategies ensure women benefit from these projects in rice systems? 

Puskur: The first thing we look at is how to make technologies more gender-responsive.

One of these technologies, for example, is climate-smart rice varieties that are resilient to stresses like drought, salinity and flooding.

We are trying to understand the preferences of men and women for different traits in these varieties, engaging them in the varietal selection processes.

Evidence has shown that just putting out technologies is not enough. Women face many other constraints: access to land, credit, knowledge and other services.

What we need is a bundling of social, institutional, and policy innovations that can help women access and use these technologies and benefit from them. 

Another area of importance is giving women access to markets to expand women’s engagement in different nodes of the value chain. Right now, you see women mostly in the production segment, which is usually the least remunerative sector, involving a lot of labor.

One solution is to create more inclusive extension advisory services and mechanization services through custom hiring centers through women’s collectives and developing capacities for making value-added products.

This helps ensure women are not just providing labor on these farms but are fully engaged and benefiting from their engagement in rice value chains and contributing to the economic, social and environmental sustainability of these systems. 

What do women tell you about what it means to achieve greater agency?

Andriyana: When we worked with women’s groups across various sites in Indonesia, we found that a recurring theme emerged. While achieving greater agency and control of resources is crucial, many women emphasize the significance of having their opinions consulted and considered in decision-making processes.

We think that this perspective is deeply influenced by social, cultural, and religious contexts. 

Women value being consulted and having their voices heard, which they see as a form of respect and recognition of their contribution. This involvement can take various forms, such as participating in community meetings as part of the advisory committees or simply having a say in household decisions related to farming and resource management.

In many communities, traditional norms dictate that men are the primary decision-makers, and women play supportive roles. However, this dynamic is gradually changing.

Interestingly, many women who we talked to articulated that they do not necessarily seek to take control of resources but to be involved in decision-making.

By empowering women in these areas, we can ensure that their voices are not only heard but are also influential in shaping the future of their communities.

Puskur: The women that I’ve been working with said knowledge is the most important resource for them. 

We often talk about how women are not a part of intra-household negotiations or decision-making.

The women tell us ‘Look, we hesitate to participate in discussions and negotiations, basically because we think we are not good enough. We don’t have the knowledge.’

But soon as they have information and are part of training, they go back home with confidence and ask for a seat at the table.

Being part of formal networks also seems to make a big difference to them. This leads to a domino effect: once the community starts respecting them, there is a change in the way they are treated within the household. 

In some cases, men start taking on some domestic care work. This frees up women’s time so that they can go out and engage in more remunerative work, and men then also see the positives of this kind of engagement.

Power relations begin to shift within the household and within the community. This is what the women want.