FAO: Biofuel Production Could Increase Marginalization of Women

A new study of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that women in the rural areas may be marginalized because of limited access to the large–scale production of liquid biofuels like bioethanol and biodiesel in developing countries. The study entitled “Gender and Equity Issues in Liquid Biofuels Production-Minimizing the Risks to Maximize the Opportunities”, noted that though the biofuel plantations create employment for around 40 percent of female agricultural workers (in Latin America and the Caribbean), they are most likely to experience low wages, poor working conditions and benefits, and exposure to safety and health risks.

According to Yianna Lambrou, co-author of the study, policies should be adopted in developing countries to strengthen the participation of small farmers, especially women in biofuel production. This is all the more important since the number of households headed by women is growing, with around 40 percent of the total in Southern Africa and 35 percent in the Caribbean. She also suggested that, "women's access to land, capital and technology must be increased since gender inequalities are likely to become more marked as women’s vulnerability to hunger and poverty is further exacerbated,” Lambrou stressed.

Read the full article at http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000830/index.html To view the complete study, visit ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/ai503e/ai503e00.pdf