Workshops initiate reflection on gender equality in the Barra do Garças PCI Compact

News article - 20 Aug 2021

Signatories and supporters of the Barra do Garças PCI Compact have initiated a process of reflection on gender equality with the aim of assessing the progress of the agreed goals. The topic was addressed by a specialized consultancy that held two workshops in which they presented concepts, data and information involving gender issues and women’s participation in urban and rural areas of Mato Grosso and Barra do Garças.

The subject started to be discussed between IDH and its partners involved in the implementation of Compacts and Field Programmes during meetings last year, and is considered a priority topic for 2021. For IDH, women are drivers of development and sustainability in the countryside and it is necessary to ensure that the initiatives supported allow broad participation, recognition and security. And the first step in achieving this is to know where we stand.

Achieving gender equality is widely recognized as paramount to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Gender inequality is a key driver of poverty, which means that it is not only a human rights issue, but also a development and business issue.

IDH incorporates the inclusion of gender in all its operations, both internally and when working with partners.

"We understand that in order to achieve the full development of an initiative, gender cannot be considered as an isolated issue, but as an issue to be applied in all interventions, by identifying opportunities and barriers", said Nathália Monéa, senior manager at IDH Program in Brazil.

The deputy manager of Sustainable Agriculture at TNC, Júlia Mangueira, observed that the PCI Compact is a very strong rural landscape governance program and that it is necessary to understand how to include this agenda. "We are proposing a reflection on what gender has to do with a public policy for the development of a municipality and how this can support the success of the goals. It is a continuous process that still needs to be built". TNC is a partner of IDH in the implementation of the Barra do Garças PCI Compact, which includes more than 40 signatories. Learn more here.

The attendants of the workshop consider this issue relevant and say that it must be further discussed so as to provide a common understanding of what is being sought. In the end, the expected result is to look at the municipality from the angle of this agenda in order to ensure that development is accessible and happens in an equitable way.

IDH's intention is to continue promoting similar reflections in the other Compacts and Programmes that it finances, including training and tools to support this process.

Fighting hunger and the role of women

The importance of the role of women in the agricultural industry was a focus of discussion during the First Forum of Female Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas, held on August 26, promoted by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), in parallel with the first day of the Pre-Summit on Food Systems.

Entitled “Women at the Forefront of Agri-food System Transformation”, the event was attended by female ministers, secretaries and deputy ministers from 12 countries in the Americas and was an important step in the institutionalization of a space that aims to propose concrete policies that promote the sustainable development of agri-food systems by acknowledging the essential contribution of rural women in the continent towards eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.

The Brazilian Minister, Tereza Cristina, pointed out that gender equality must be strengthened as one of the tools to promote social inclusion and economic growth. “We have witnessed a steady growth of women's involvement in food, fibber and renewable energy production, not to mention their role in the care economy. Such reality evidences that women empowerment is key to ensure global food security," she said.

Learn more about the event by clicking here