ABSTRACT
The Farming Systems Research and Extension (FSR/E) methodology consists of a series of stages that facilitate the specification of steps to be taken to address particular aspects of research and extension and how to make the best use of different kinds of data. The systems approach endorsed by the FSR/E constituency lent itself well to illuminating women's economic importance. The systems approach adopted by FSR/E practitioners provided a starting point for integrating the diversity of farm and non-farm, activities within a more complex model of the whole farm-household system. The interaction of socioeconomic standing and gender was brought home by the growing recognition that women in poor families played essential economic roles that bore little resemblance to the activities of middleclass and elite women in the same societies. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
