By Laura Rosen Cohen

On the perfectly manicured grounds of Kibbutz Shfayim, a stone's throw away from the Mediterranean, a group of French-speaking women and men from 12 countries listen to a lecture on the role of women in Israeli agriculture. Twenty-eight participants were in Israel from May 22-June 19, 1996, for a CINADCO course on the Role of Women in Agricultural Development. The participants, from Africa, Europe and Asia, represented a wide cross-section of professions - hailing from both the public and private sectors in their respective countries. What they had in common was a desire and opportunity to learn from Israeli agricultural models and take back new insights and experiences to each of their home countries.

"Since the mid-1980s, CINADCO has been offering courses which reflect the reality of women working in agriculture in developing nations: Women are responsible for 70% and more of the agricultural work in most developing nations. They are very involved, but receive little instruction on productive farming," says Ophra Bar-Am, part of the training staff for extension and women in agriculture at CINADCO.

"We try to encourage women working at all levels, from women who work in the fields and agricultural extensionists to leaders, researchers and policy-makers," adds Bar-Am.

There were five male participants in the group. Bar-Am explains that "participants need gender awareness whether they are men or women," and that all participants, male and female, will be able to make a contribution in their countries. Collaboration and understanding between the sexes is crucial for achieving desired objectives.

Julia Biviarimanana Djacoba, from Madagascar, is the Public Relations manager of a private company associated with a lottery, with 50 employees under her direct supervision. However, in addition to her professional career, she is a volunteer with an International Independent Christian Youth Movement associated with the Confederation des Association Femmes et Developpement - a women's organization involved with developing nations. Her volunteer work was essentially what brought her to Israel for this particular CINADCO course.

"In my country, approximately 85% of the population lives in rural areas and makes a living either by raising cattle or cultivating crops. What we really need is to find the best methods of farming and raising quality produce and livestock. I want to be able to present the methods to groups of women. I want to really market the methods to them, so that they will be able to succeed," explains Djacoba.

"I am very aware of the realities and struggles that exist in my country and try to contribute to improving the standard of living in any way that I can. I see proper information mechanisms as being an integral part of that process. It is essential for developing countries to work on information marketing and dissemination," she adds.

Djacoba says that most women are able to grow just enough to feed their immediate families, and that one of her goals is to help women get beyond subsistence farming to a level of production that will enable them to market the excess and receive an income.

"This course has really allowed me to discover so many things. I am going to try and apply as much as I can at home. I really take it as a blessing from God that I have had the experience of being here," says Djacoba, beaming.

N'guessan Kouakou Luc, from the Ivory Coast, is an organizational specialist working for ANADER, the French acronym for "the National Organization for Rural Development." His area of agricultural expertise is onions.

"In our country, we have a population of 13.5 million. Women are more active than men in agriculture. I work with extension workers and with research and development professionals of every region. We deal with many complex problems of organization and information," explains Luc.

"There is no shortage of water in our country, particularly in the winter season. Our problem is that most people who farm barely make enough to live. Our goal is to get information to the women of the households so that they will be able to produce food for their families and have something left over to market," adds Luc.

In the dry season, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and cauliflower are grown. Lettuce and carrots are fairly cheap vegetables to grow, but are mostly sold to city dwellers. The staple diet of most of the rural population is grains, nuts and cereals such as maize, rice, peanuts and sorghum.

Luc feels that in order to raise the standard of living in his country, women must be properly educated. Most women, he says, finish their formal education at the end of the eighth grade. Given an opportunity, they could finish high school and return to their villages better equipped to help the family function and be more productive. Recently, progressive legislation was passed regarding the compulsory education of girls in the Ivory Coast.

"I think that the Israeli moshav could prove to be a good model for my country. What really impressed me here is that information gets to and from people involved with agriculture, from the researchers to the extensionists to the farmers. And, most importantly, the transportation of produce is fast and efficient. I always heard that Israel was a war zone, but I haven't felt any danger. It's a beautiful country, very developed and being here has been a very interesting experience for me," says Luc.

Varine Touch, of Cambodia, is the Deputy Director of Research at the Ministry of Women's Affairs. She says that it was very important to her to have an opportunity to study in a country so different from her own in terms of development and organization.

"Cambodia is a very poor country, with little capital. It is a country that has been devastated by war and politics. Unfortunately, we also have many social and health problems related to the relatively low standard of living, and a large number of people with war-related disabilities," explains Touch.

Some 88% of the population lives in rural areas and approximately 65-70% of agricultural production is done by women. Touch says that illiteracy is one of the most serious problem facing women in Cambodia. Only about a third of Cambodian women reach high school studies.

"One problem that specifically affects women who work in agriculture is the lack of access to information. I would like to see women provided with the information and tools they would need to actually generate income through selling their handicrafts: They make clothes, scarves, mats, clay pots, carve wood and weave baskets. Most poor women, though, do not have the capital they need to develop a business," she comments.

Touh's Ministry deals with a number of different issues related to women's well-being, including health, education, social action and economic development, among others. The Ministry also cooperates with national and international women's organizations.

"I think that one of the most impressive aspects of Israel is the respect people have for the rule of law. I am also really looking forward to being able to tell people about the examples that I saw of real cooperation, particularly the moshav as a model that could work in my country, too," she says, smiling.

Adela Barbulescu is a researcher at the Ministry of Agriculture in Romania. She specializes in ornamental shrubs and strawberries, and she too was very impressed by the idea of a moshav.

"I really liked the way in which the (cooperative) moshav was organized, living together in a village and sharing technology. But, at the same time, everyone has their own individual pursuits. I don't know how crazy people would be about a (collective) kibbutz in my country - the socialist implications are too strong," explains Barbulescu.

"In Romania, people can now own private land. However, there are many people with many small parcels of land. The farmers are not organized and do not cooperate with one another. We need to have better organization," she adds.

Barbulescu says that there are basically only two extension workers in her Ministry, but that individuals can get in touch with research institutes for current information.

"Most farmers manage to feed their family, and if there is anything left over, they sell it - depending on the product. Women generally are the farmers of the family. I have learned a lot here that will help me develop a plan for organizing some kind of agricultural cooperative for women," says Barbulescu.

Henriette Duyiboe-Alagbo, from Togo, is an agronomist by training and is currently serving as one of three technical counsellors of the Minister of Rural Development. She is one of the few women who work at such a senior level. The Ministry of Rural Development in Togo sets the national agricultural policies and coordinates the technical advisors who assist in planning the concepts. Among her many responsibilities, Duyiboe-Alagbo works with extension workers, more specifically on agricultural issues pertaining to women.

"I am the one who studies the documents, researches the problems, and eventually comes up with a policy decision. Out of a population of 3.5 million people in Togo, about 75% work in agriculture. Out of that number, some 3/4 are women," says Duyiboe-Alagbo.

"In my country, women do the sowing, most of the weeding, most of the harvesting and most of the marketing of produce. They work by hand, and it is backbreaking, labour-intensive work. What we really need is the modern technology you have here, and mechanical equipment. This, of course, is very costly," she explains.

As is the case in many other developing countries, women in Togo are usually able to grow enough to feed their families.

"The farmers themselves eat a diet of maize, millet, sorghum, rice, yams, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes. In the village, you don't find many people eating vegetables, which are grown in order to sell," she describes. Duyiboe-Alagbo would like to see women diversifying their crops.

"In my opinion, the major obstacle that women face in agriculture is getting credit to start production at a serious level. In order to expand an operation, one needs capital. Women do more of the actual farming than men, yet they are unable to get credit to start anything," adds Duyiboe-Alagbo.

"My personal project has been to research ways in which women can increase their chances of getting credit. We know that where they get credit they handle it well - they just have to be given a chance. My experience has been that when women have income, they use it. When men have it, they keep it. Anyway, this has been my main research goal while I have been here. It has been a wonderful experience. This is the country of our Lord, and I am really very glad that I came," she adds with a smile.

The women, men and children of the developing world have much to gain by investing in women and their agricultural potential. CINADCO and its staff provide one supportive step on the road to achieving this goal.