Women play a key role in feeding the world

As I will be away from computers over the weekend, I wanted to post this in time for International Womens' Day, 8th March. The posting is on behalf of the International Alliance Against Hunger.


Please pause for a moment on International Womens’ Day – Sunday 8th March – to think whether you can do something simple that can have a positive impact on your life and on the lives of others, and is environmentally sound. Read this, and, if you agree, please forward it to your friends, women and men. Together, you can make life better for many women around the world!

Facts
1. Women farmers produce 60-80% of the food in poor countries but only own 1% of the land, and are often excluded from farmers’ associations, services and technical know-how.2
2. Rural women alone produce half of the world’s food but receive less than 10 percent of credit provided to farmers.
3. More women farmers must be give the right to own and use farm land so as to have more secure sources of food and livelihood.
4. Women’s rights must be respected: for example, enabling girls to get education has been identified as the single most powerful contribution to reducing malnutrition over a 35-year period.
5. Women are much more likely than men to spend additional income from the sale of crops on their children, who are better nourished because their mothers provide a diverse diet.
6. In Kenya for instance, women do most of the work of growing nutritious vegetables, but play a smaller role than men in decision-making in the home.


Act Now!
Share this message with your family, colleagues, and friends to make them think, and act to change this situation.

Consider the fact that, in spite of government commitments to reduce hunger, over 950 million of our fellow humans suffer from hunger on a daily basis in a world in which enough food is produced to allow everyone to eat well.

3. Learn more about how to end hunger and malnutrition and improve your nutrition habits (click on http://www.iaahp.net/ for links).

4. Share our sense of OUTRAGE: Raise your voice to encourage your government to do everything that is humanly possible to eradicate hunger and malnutrition: it can be done, and everyone wins.

Migration: Forcing Movement, Closing Doors

I finally managed to get along to one of Comhlamh's First Wednesday Debates. The sensitive and emotional issue of migration. Generally it was an interesting night covering the usual push and pull factors involved, the global and historical context of migration. I learned much about recent immigration trends in Ireland and the demographic changes this has contributed. I also learned more about the new migration bill that is being discussed at the moment.

A couple of specific issues predictably arose, issues that continue to unsettle me.

In regards to Irish attitudes to migration and immigrants, someone from the floor made the comment that Irish rural communities are less welcoming and accommodating than urban centres. In my limited time back in Ireland, and having lived in both contexts, I am not convinced that this is the case. Certainly in cities like Dublin there are more spaces for migrants (and Irish) to meet and interact. However, cities by their very nature are more cosmopolitan and this does not necessarily reflect a more welcoming and accommodating attitude on behalf of the local population. I would certainly like to hear more about rural /urban experiences before forming any opinions on such an issue.

Secondly, brain drain. One floor speaker felt that we as a country should be more socially responsible when it comes to 'taking' all the qualified talent from many of the countries supplying migrants to Ireland. Obviously he has a bit of a point but I think the issue is much more complex than this, as one of the panel replied in his response about the benefit of remittances. There are other benefits too. A large number of migrants involved in the 'brain drain' do eventually return to their countries bringing a wealth of new skills, ideas and knowledge. They also bring a breadth of new networks and contacts and more. But what annoys me most about the 'brain drain' debate is that it is usually 'ex-pats' and people in receiving countries that do all the complaining about it. You rarely hear countries supplying the 'brain drain' complain. I suspect because they can clearly see the potential benefit of their qualified people working overseas. I also have a problem with the issue of 'who decides?' or 'who has the right to decide?' about who can go where. Is it okay for those of us in the wealthy world to have professional mobility, while those in the poorer south should stay put? Ireland, and it's citizens, with their historical experience of the 'brain drain' should be in a position to make a more informed analysis of this complex and tender topic. One could equally make the argument that it is our social responsibility to accept migrants as part of the 'brain drain'.

Finally, and it always gets my back up, another floor speaker felt that the onus should be on migrants to 'assimilate'. What has happened to the collective Irish memory? Try telling that to the hundred's of thousands of Irish migrants who travelled across the water from the 1950's up to the 1980's. I can remember many stories of the 'no blacks, no dogs, no Irish' signs in windows of B&B and other guest houses in London. Personally, I recall turning up on the doorstep of a house in Kent, where I had arranged to stay for 6 months on the phone, only to be told by the landlady that she wouldn't have let me have the room if she had known I was Irish. Apparently she thought I was American on the phone! The point being that for many reasons this whole issue is much more complex and requires a more detailed analysis than simply saying that the onus or responsibility lies with one particular group of people. It lies with all of us.

In many respects it seems that our collective memory on migration is hazy which is sad because we have so much in common with current migrants. Much that could inform the current debate on migration and help Ireland innovate in how it deals with migrants.

Would love to hear more views on this.

Care farms

The National Care Farm Initiative is a way of offering on-farm health, education and welfare services for people in need. Participants in care farm schemes have experienced improvements to their physical, mental and spiritual health and well-being. Participants connect with a healthy daily structure and meaningful work in a natural environment - gaining social, educational and training benefits. The farming environment can be used to provide significant benefits for a wide range of people including:
-those with learning difficulties
-people with a drug/alcohol history
-disaffected and excluded youth
-people with work-related stress
-those with mental health issues and depression
Care farming is good for rural communities and economies as it enhances the viability of farms, broadens farm business and increases the services derived from the countryside. Farmers receive a deep sense of satisfaction through helping people improve their lives through farming - and having guests of the farm also addresses issues of rural isolation. Care farming places a high value on the knowledge and skills of farmers and seeks to help rural communities become more socially , economically and environmentally sustainable.

Everybodyonline for equality

'A Northern Ireland community initiative has been praised for highlighting what the UK is doing to create a fairer and more equal society in the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All (EYEOA). The EverybodyOnline project is designed to close the digital divide - helping excluded communities engage with digital technology and the internet. Launched earlier this year by the then Northern Ireland Finance Minister David Hanson MP, the project is a joint initiative from BT and the Delivery and Innovation Division within the Department of Finance & Personnel and is delivered by the charity Citizens Online. It aims to help excluded groups including those with a physical disability, a learning disability and older people, both in their own and residential homes, to overcome any barriers they may have to technology so that everyone can take advantage of the wealth of opportunities digital technology and the internet has to offer.'

The Rural Media Company

The Rural Media Company is an innovative media education and production organisation with a national reputation for its socially aware media and communications work. It aims to enable rural communities to learn about and use media by participating in practical media activities and the creation and dissemination of high quality media communications and educational resources.

Travellers Remembered is is a collection of 25 beautiful digital stories which record the personal memories of Traveller families in the West Midlands. Media workers helped children and young people to record their parents and grandparents, adding family photographs to bring the memories to life.

A similar project entitled Fieldwork - the Bygone Days of Farming is underway.

Certainly an interesting and useful approach for community involvement in documenting social history. Check out the other projects and activities on the site.

International Women's Health Conference in Derry

This conference aims open up debate on the need to improve health status and reduce health inequalities by focusing on the themes of Women and exclusion, maintaining women's roles in determining health and well-being when societies move from conflict to post conflict, and Meeting health needs on a cross border basis. The conference takes place on the 29-30 May 2008 and is hosted by Derry Well Woman.

From exlusion to equality

Last night's BBC 2 documentary on disability and sexuality certainly raised alot of public interest if the number of comments on the internet and radio is anything to go by. One person in particular talking about how disabled toilets never have condom machines, tampon dispensers or even the sanitary bins in them - she said it was as if "the disabled were neutre".

Interestingly, the United Nations have just published a handbook for parliamentarians on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities titled, From Exclusion to Equality, which I am sure will go someway to improving the rights of disabled persons in rural as well as urban locations.

Tackling social exclusion of traveller communities

This recently published report from UNICEF Breaking the Cycle of Exclusion; Roma Children in South East Europe, may well have useful insights and lessons for policy makers and campaigners working on behalf of the traveller community in Ireland, who share similar exlusion, prejudice and discrimination. The report highlights key issues contributing to social exclusion of Roma children in eight South eastern European countries and identifies the most critical issues that, if addressed effectively, can break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and exclusion and create a new cycle of development, opportunity and inclusion.

'The authors argue that exclusion deprives children of their childhood and hinders them from fully developing their capacities to contribute in a substantial way to the economic and social development of their country. Exclusion is a de facto violation of the rights of children and it is with children that the intergenerational cycle of poverty and exclusion can be broken. The report calls for immediate action on social exclusion of children in middle income countries.

A range of recommendations are suggesting including:

• educated Roma should be invited to participate in public life, on radio and television, so that people get to see Roma in other roles
• the Child Ombudsman system should have a section or person supporting the rights of excluded children with special attention to Roma children
• the welfare system should, in coordination with the other social sectors, play an important role in ensuring children and their parents are not excluded from the basic services
• access to health care for Roma children is obstructed by costs, lack of registration and discrimination. All children should be registered from birth.'

Embracing diversity and pluralism

My friend Luigi brought this interesting article in the Limerick Post to my attention recently. It describes how the 'Igbos of Nigeria now living in Ireland celebrated their New Yam Festival in style, patriotism, pride and vigour in Limerick.' What a wonderful way for new communities and groups to Ireland to continue their traditions and share them with their new neighbours and friends. Those involved are to be congratulated. Unfortunately, I see very little of this sort of thing happening around my own district. These are lost opportunities for cross-cultural sharing and learning. With so many new nationalities and communities to the north there must be huge potential for initiatives of this sort, such as events in schools. Hopefully, someone can prove me wrong and point me in the direction where these kinds of things are happening. Maybe I am reading the wrong newspapers, they seem to be more interested in 'bad news' about Irelands new arrivals. Shame!

Having spent some time in the Pacific, I am occasionally partial to a yam or two (one if I am in Tonga!). Does anyone know the name of the shop in Limerick where the yams where purchased?

Poor health

One of my enduring memories from childhood was the sight of a long line of traveller community caravans along the Cookstown road on the way into Omagh. Now all the travellers in the Omagh district are in fixed housing. It's all part of the learning experience of someone newly returned home. However, one of the most shocking things I have learned more recently was during the field visits at the Rural Community Network annual conference was the appalling level of health and health care among the traveller community here in Ireland, north and south. In a presentation by Connor Keyes, I learned some unpalatable facts such as:

• Travellers have infant mortality rates 3 times higher than the general population.
• Travellers have stillbirth rates double that of the general population.
• Traveller men live on average 10 years less than settled men.
• Traveller women live on average 12 years less than settled women.
• Travellers of all ages have very high mortality rates compared to the Irish population.

It reminded me of the 'Third World' health conditions that Aborigine communities endure in 'economically advanced' Australia. University College Dublin have just commenced an All-Ireland Traveller Health Study 2007-2010 which will provide up-to-date information and hopefully indications that the situation is improving. It will be interesting to see if there are significant differences between north and south in terms of health conditions. Lay health workers have been operating in the south for some time now but a similar strategy is not yet in operation for the traveller community in Northern Ireland. It is hard to understand why not given the known barriers and constraints facing health care among the traveller community. Surely a situation that will change soon I hope.

The world is ageing fast - have we noticed?

Today is International Day for Older People, I did a posting on this earlier.

'In all countries, and in developing countries in particular, measures to help
older people remain healthy and active are a necessity, not a luxury.'

Get informed and find out what you can do to facilitate this process, click here

Positive Ageing - International Day for Older People

The first day of October marks International Day for Older People each year and I believe Age Awareness Week is based around this (28 September to 6 October). There are many events going on throughout Ireland, north and south, to mark these events. Further information about events and issues regarding ageing in general can be found at:

Age Concern NI

Changing Ageing Partnership

Age Action Ireland

Age and Opportunity

Alone

The Changing Ageing Partnership is particularly interesting as it funds and supports research on ageing-related issues including the impact of the urban/rural divide.

If you are involved in organising an event or researching ageing-related issues especially in a rural context please let me know what you are up to.

Moving on diversity; some partner profiles

The Diversity Works partnership brings together an interesting array of actors and includes:

Disability Action; 'Disability Action Northern Ireland works to ensure that people with disabilities attain their full rights as citizens, by supporting inclusion, influencing Government policy and changing attitudes in partnership with disabled people.'
North West Forum of People with Disabilities (no website currently)
Northern Ireland Council of Ethnic Minorities (NICEM)
Coalition on Sexual Orientation (CoSO)
Equality Commission for Northern Ireland

Click on the above links for massive amounts of useful information.

Moving on diversity

Diversity Works is a partnership between community organisations, public authorities, government and employer representatives which aims to develop a diversity management process for use in different employment sectors in Northern Ireland. Diversity Works are having a launch on the 27 September in Belfast of a pilot study, Moving on Diversity; Pilot Study on Diversity Management in Northern Ireland. If you are interested in attending details can be found here.

Appreciating and understanding cultural diversity

The Training for Women Network (TWN), Northern Ireland's leading network for the promotion of women's training and development, is running the following 'free' course on the 29th October 2007

Course: Cultural Diversity Awareness Introductory Session
Date: Monday, 29 October 2007
Time: 10am — 4pm
Location: TWN Training Suite, Unit 10b Weavers Court , Linfield Road , Belfast
Cost: FREE (Limited to 20 places)

'It is nowadays incumbent on businesses to have an awareness of the implications
of having a multicultural workforce and the implications of equality legislation
for all employees. A wealth of cultural diversity awareness workshops and
training courses have been designed to assist businesses to manage cultural
diversity and equality issues in the workplace. In this unique 1 day
introductory session the hosts will seek to provide delegates with a wide
ranging overview of the issues that effect today employers based on the various
courses available. This special introductory course is aimed primarily at
frontline staff, business owners, HR staff and managers. The course involves
supporting the indigenous workforce to support multi-ethnic employees and
customers by creating awareness of the needs and customs of specific ethnic
groups. The result is a more informed and aware workforce and a more customer
friendly ethos. To book your free place on this unique course contact TWN on
(90) 319888 or e-mail mailto:events@twnonline.com

Women, farming and rural development

Reading Dr Sally Shortall's publication Women in Rural Areas in Northern Ireland I was somewhat surprised to be reminded that a number of the issues she highlights as challenging women's participation in rural development and farming in NI are similar to those constraining women in many of the countries in Asia and the Pacific where I worked before. Well, maybe I wasn't all that surprised. Dr Shortall has raised a number of policy recommendations to address these constraints and again these are similar and include: farming organisations actively engaging women in their approach to the farming community; improving gender representation; enhancing women's training; and sensitivity in timing and locations of meetings/events. This is for farming alone. There are others for general rural development, childcare, employment and improved data. One recommendation in particular caught my attention:

• The fact that so many documents refer to the under-representation of women in rural development suggests that full account is not being taken of the work of the Women's Networks. A very solid infrastructure exists. Tapping into and supporting this infrastructure seems an important means of ensuring the representation of women in general rural development initiatives, a stated priority for DARD and the rural development organisations.

After working extensively in international rural development I can add that I am aware of many organisations, programmes and projects that have done exactly the same i.e., worked in isolation from exisiting women's networks. So while they were all busy figuring out how to mainstream gender into their activities and programmes they failed to see the gains and opportunities that could be made by better linkages and partnerships with local women's networks. For example, until recently I worked on an EU-funded sustainable agriculture development project with 16 participating countries and multiple stakeholders. Mid-way through the project we commissioned a thematic gender evaluation of the project (largely because we felt that the EU commissioned mid-term review of the project did not take evaluation of gender seriously enough). The gender evaluation provided project management with a great deal of useful information and data, confirming what we were doing well and highlighting where we could improve. However, while full of praise for the lengths we had gone to develop linkages and networks with relevant stakeholders in each country, the review stressed that it was significant that no partnerships had been developed with already existing national women's mechanisms which could bring gender expertise and experience into the project. Not only did the project lose out in terms of accessing such expertise and inputs, the review rightly pointed out that we were missing opportunities for the project to highlight its good gender practice in a wider context to support and contribute to national policy level actions for gender equality. It is interesting (and humbling) to sit down and reflect on how such simple strategic partnerships could be so easily neglected!

Which reminds me. I can't recall much being written in NIRDP2007-2013, which I posted on earlier, that convinces me rural development actors in NI have paid much heed to the findings and recommendations on gender from Dr Shortall's publication. I hope I am wrong.

You're welcome here kind stranger

While some of the life stories of women described in the RCN publication Stranger or Citizen? Barriers to Citizenship are harrowing, many are inspirational such as that of Bennie Attoh from the Louth African Women's Support Network. Bennie, who came to Ireland in 2000, unable to find a job after two years despite having a degree began selling Nigerian food from the boot of her car. With start-up funds of Euro140 she managed to grow a business that now has an annual turnover of Euro200,000.

The publication describes many of the now familiar barriers facing women, and new arrivals in particular, in Ireland but more importantly highlights the massive change they can inspire if given an equal chance.