ABSTRACT
RuralWomen’s Cooperatives (RCW) represent an emerging institutional pathway towards financial autonomy for women and a component of a marginalized agricultural sector. In Lebanon, a rural cooperative is defined as ‘an autonomous association of ten persons with a capital that is not limited; it is non-profit, and its aim is to improve the socio-economic conditions of its members through joining their efforts’ according to the general principles of cooperation: Legislative Decree 17199 dated 18 August 1964.3 Originally, rural cooperatives were organized by a government decree in 1941 and overseen by the Directorate of Cooperatives under the Ministry of Agriculture.Today, in a less-than-optimal arrangement, oversight is distributed among several ministries including the Ministry of Industry,Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture. Despite seemingly favorable conditions, such as availability of water, temperate
climate, and access to arable land, the agricultural sector in Lebanon is relatively underdeveloped compared to neighboring countries.The current status is a product of the historically low government priority attributed to the sector, and the lack of coherent development strategies to promote growth and address structural deficiencies. Although the Lebanese food industry has consistently increased its volume of
exports over the years, there are still many internal issues impeding further progress. For instance, trade liberalization is expected to open many new markets for Lebanese products nevertheless it may also increase competition from imported goods as the Lebanese market opens to international markets. Particularly important is the need to increase food quality and safety of products to meet international standards. Several agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) are being considered. In addition to policy and institutional challenges, several socio-economic reali-
ties impede women’s attainment of financial autonomy: according to 2010 estimations women only make up about 27.7 per cent of the workforce.4 In addition, only 7.2 per cent of the total labor force in Lebanon works in the agricultural sector (4.6 per cent of the females and 10 per cent of the males).5 According to a
recent FAO publication, women constitute 9 per cent of farmers.6 Such a low proportion of participation is attributable to women not returning to the workforce after marriage and child-bearing due to prioritization of household duties. In addition, there is a general reluctance from employers to hire women. In rural areas in particular, employers prefer to hire migrant and informal workers. Informal, temporary workers reduce costs to the business because they go unreported to the government, thus allowing the employer to evade taxes on their wages.
