sustainable development 20 years on from the ... - José Eli da Veiga

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heads of household in rural areas, and strengthening their access to land could enable them to improve
their situation and exert greater influence in their homes and communities (see box I.6) (FAO, <strong>20</strong>11).
Box I.6
GENDER AND LAND TENURE
Rural women account for the bulk of family farm output, yet their rights are often ignored and their expertise
underestimated owing to the gender biases implicit in many laws, in daily practices and customs, and in the sexual
division of labour. Only recently have their key role as food producers and suppliers and their decisive contribution
to food security in the home been acknowledged. In Latin America, the distribution of land ownership between men
and women is extremely unequal, with women rarely representing even one fourth of all landowners. The
persistence of this gender gap in ownership would appear to be related to the following factors: a demonstrated
preference to leave inheritances to men; the privileges enjoyed by men within marriage; a tendency to favour men in
community and State-run land distribution programmes; and gender biases in the land market, where women are less
likely than men to succeed in purchasing property. Few statistics on the outcomes of agrarian reform initiatives in
various countries in the region are available, but those that do exist indicate that no more than a small number of
women have benefited from these policies, inasmuch as they have received only, on average, 11% or 12% of the
total amount of land distributed under these programmes (International Land Coalition, <strong>20</strong>09, in América Latina
Genera, UNDP, <strong>20</strong>10). This situation is attributable to the persistence of biases in laws and regulations, such as, for
example, the designation of the head of household as the recipient of any land title awarded to that household and
the pervasive assumption that male farmers are the target group for agrarian policy.
In the 1990s, as the women’s movement grew in strength, some progress began to be made in attaining greater
gender equality in agrarian law. As a result, some countries’ laws recognize women as rights holders, although most
recognize the rights of married couples (joint title) or of individuals, regardless of their sex. In Chile, Colombia and
Nicaragua, women heads of household have been given priority in land distribution or titling programmes. The main
way that women acquire land titles is still through inheritance, as daughters or widows, however (UNDP, <strong>20</strong>10). Many
countries in the region have yet to introduce the agrarian reforms and public policies needed to promote the equitable
distribution of land. Progress in guaranteeing women’s and men’s right to land on an equal footing is essential in order
to combat rural poverty and to achieve <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> and gender equality.
Source: América Latina Genera/Regional Centre for Latin America and the Caribbean, United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), “Desarrollo sostenible”, <strong>20</strong>10 [online] http://www.americalatinagenera.org/es/documentos/
tematicas/tema_desarrollo_sostenible.pdf.
The implications of the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are closely related to the
work being done to update the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants of
the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (which dates back to 1991) and to
the cost of permits for derived varieties, as well as restrictions on producers’ propagation of seeds for
their own use. GMOs do not offer an advantage to small-scale producers because of the high cost of
GMO seeds (Diouf, <strong>20</strong>11). State-run germplasm banks could help to encourage research and boost
inventories of national varieties at affordable or subsidized prices (Fresco, <strong>20</strong>01).
Another emerging issue that may have an impact on food security and the sustainability of the use
of land and water resources in the region is the increasing concentration and appropriation of land in Latin
American countries. The practice of leasing or selling vast tracts of land to investors from the region or
from other countries may provide short-term economic growth opportunities for the countries of Latin
America and the Caribbean, but also has risks: indeed, it may result in land grabs, un<strong>sustainable</strong> use of
natural resources and expulsion of rural populations (FAO, <strong>20</strong>09).
Other challenges that are taking shape are the genetic impoverishment of cultivated plant species
and the formation of vast “dead zones” in the oceans or other bodies of water.