Introduction

In discussions held amongst women professionals in FAO, IFAD, the UN Forum on Forests, IUFRO, the CGIAR and NGOs and other organizations throughout the world, there has been a general agreement of the gaps in policies, awareness and actions related to gender and agriculture and natural resource management, as well as to the paucity of groups or organizations working to redress these gaps.

The objective of this global network is to address three major gaps that emerge from the knowledge and experiences of sustainable and rural development processes. These are:

1. policies regarding gender within the agriculture and natural resource management sectors;
2. roles of professional women in implementing policy objectives for rural women’s empowerment and gender equality within these sectors, and
3. organizational barriers that obstruct women from realizing positions of leadership and influence to take on such roles.

WOCAN was established in 2004 to address these gaps through active, constructive collaboration with governments, NGOs, universities, international organizations and civil society groups.

Vision

Transform NRM programs and organizations at all levels supporting and empowering professional and rural women together to achieve gender equality and environmentally sustainable development.

Mission

• To empower women professionals engaged in NRM sectors by improving the capabilities and providing them with opportunities to share information and experiences globally
• To establish and support platforms for women to build alliances so that they may achieve higher levels of energy and commitment for the dual causes of rural women’s empowerment and environmental sustainability
• To transform programmes and organisations by strengthening the position of women professionals engaged in agriculture, forestry, and other relevant sectors within their organizations and increasing their effectiveness and service to rural women