1、Key Messages:1.Cotton is an important source of livelihood for millions of smallholders worldwide.It is estimated that about 31.5 million farmers produce cotton globally and nearly half of them are women.2.Women face disproportionate barriers along the cotton value chain in terms of access to land,i

2、nputs and services that affect the quality of their participation and the benefit they can derive.In many countries,they are largely marginalized in low-skilled,low-paid and labour-intensive jobs.3.Gender-sensitive policies and programmes can help ensure that benefits and incomes generated along the

3、 cotton value chain are equitably distributed among women and men.4.Closing the gender gap in the cotton sector,such as in employment,wage,and land rights,can contribute significantly to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)1,2 and 5.5.Investments to strengthen cotton-producing coun

4、tries capacity to collect gender-disaggregated data and conduct gender-focused studies across cotton producing developing countries are needed to support the development of gender-sensitive policies and strategies.This information note is prepared by Evelyne van Heck and Daneswar Poonyth with contri

5、butions from El Mamoun Amrouk,Andrea Zimmermann,Fabio Palmeri and Iryna Kobuta of the FAO Markets and Trade Division,Francesca di Stefano and Clara Park of the FAO Regional Office for Africa and Terry Townsend,International Consultant.Gender dimension in the Cotton Sector:Characterising the role of

6、women Gender dimension in the Cotton Sector:Characterising the role of women2The economic significance of cotton in developing countriesCotton is one of the most versatile crops used for clothing,homewares,cottonseed oil,animal feed,and industrial and beauty products.Cotton is an important raw mater