promoting gender equitable opportunities in agricultural ... - weman

GLOSSARY OF TERMSAgricultureThe science and practice of activity related to food,feed, and fiber production, processing, marketing,distribution, utilization, and trade and includes familyand consumer sciences, nutrition, food science andengineering, agricultural economics and other socialsciences, forestry, wildlife, fisheries, aquaculture,floriculture, veterinary medicine, and other environmentaland natural resources sciences.Commodity chainOften used synonymously with value chain (seebelow).CompetitivenessThe capacity of an enterprise to establish and maintainan advantage in the market over its competitors,by achieving greater efficiencies in production andmarketing, often through improved quality, differentiatedproducts, and/or new markets.DownstreamDownstream in a value chain refers to the actors andoperators toward the end consumption of the valuechain product, i.e., the final market or consumer.Duncan IndexA method of measuring segmentation. The DuncanIndex is calculated using the following formula:| m-f | 21= DiiN =1i∑ *100EfficiencyThere are two concepts of efficiency: Technologicalefficiency occurs when it is not possible to increaseoutput without increasing inputs. Economic efficiencyoccurs when the cost of producing a given output isas low as possible. An economically efficient situationis one in which any additional reallocation of resourceswould not achieve any greater welfare, also termed“allocative efficiency.”EmpowermentThe ability of people to define and achieve their lifegoals using all of the resources (material, human, andsocial) available to them.GenderThe social category usually associated with being aman or a woman. It encompasses economic, social,political, and cultural attributes and opportunities aswell as roles and responsibilities. Gender is defineddifferently around the world and those definitionschange over time.In some countries, additional gender categories beyondman and woman are used. The category of “transgender”has emerged in popular and development discourse asan umbrella term for people who encompass socialroles relating to both men and women, e.g., the hijra ofIndia, the berdash among some Native American tribes,and the xanith of Oman.Gender accommodatingProjects that acknowledge inequities in gender relationsand seek to develop actions that adjust to and oftencompensate for gender differences and inequitieswithout addressing the underlying structures thatperpetuate gender inequalities. While this approachconsiders the different roles and identities of women andmen in the design of programs, it does not deliberatelychallenge unequal relations of power. In the processof achieving desired development objects, projectsfollowing this approach may miss opportunities forimproving gender equality.Gender analysisGender analysis is a methodology that both:✪✪ describes existing gender relations in a particularenvironment, ranging from within households orfirms to a larger scale of community, ethnic group,or nation, and✪✪ organizes and interprets, in a systematic way,information about gender relations to make clearthe importance of gender differences for achievingdevelopment objectives.Gender analysis involves collecting and analyzing sexdisaggregateddata and other qualitative and quantitativeinformation on gender issues, including access to andcontrol over assets (tangible and intangible), as well asbeliefs, practices, and legal frameworks.123