TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgement Introduction General ...

women serve only as a conduit for men to procure loans.
● Low literacy rates among women in many countries hamper information
acquisition.
● Very few organized women groups exist to articulate the needs of rural women
involved in aquaculture.
● Lack of sensitivity to and respect for gender roles and responsibilities is a
common problem.
● Data on women involvement in aquaculture is not available, and policies and
programs often are not gender sensitive.
Implemented strategies to address gender issues
Family approach
The family approach was found to be successful because it answers the problem of
not having adequate female participation. Both husband and wife take part in
training. In conservative communities, early meetings with the family guardians
proved effective in ensuring participation of female family members in training
sessions. Establishing trust between the extension staff and villagers is also important.
Gender day
"Farmer field school" with family approach
In the "farmer field school" approach adopted in
some of the CARE Bangladesh Agriculture and
Natural Resource (ANR) projects, both male and
female groups meet separately (due to cultural
restrictions) for sessions held every two weeks.
Results indicate that this approach helps women
acquire knowledge that enables them to take
active part in decision-making.
After the first few sessions (conducted separately with male and female groups),
both groups are brought together on a day designated as their “Gender Day”. On
that occasion, discussions of gender issues and local problems take place, and