ABSTRACT
Technological change is an essential part of economic and social development; however, technological change can have far-reaching effects on rural comminities. This chapter draws on a survey of 47 land-owning households in four villages of Aleppo Province in Syria, supplemented by visits and interviews to major labor supplying villages. Syria is among those Middle Eastern countries where agriculture is a major factor in the national economy. It is a rich country with regard to its land and water resources. Labor input for agricultural tasks, whether provided by household or hired labor, differs by gender depending on the crops and the techniques used in accomplishing the tasks. Where new technology reduces women's labor, this may also have adverse effects if poor women depend on the income from agricultural labor. In general, men's and women's contributions to agricultural labor are almost equal. The chapter describes the gender differences in off-farm activities, as they relate to agricultural or nonagricultural tasks.
