Promoting rural women’s cooperative businesses in Thailand. A training kit. Part 1.

In order to transform themselves into successful rural entrepreneurs, small

farmers need improved access to essential social services such as basic health

care and education, safe drinking water and electricity, as well as a widening

range of support services including credit, product and market information,

technology, management skills and training in enterprise development.

However, major challenges have to be met, particularly for women farmers who

are among the poorest and most food insecure but have much potential to

improve their livelihoods through better management of productive resources.

There is a pressing need for policies and programmes which provide equitable

access to productive resources and services to rural women, strengthening their

capacities to manage rural enterprises. In view of persisting cultural, social,

economic and political constraints, it is necessary to ensure that such policies and programmes are better targeted in order to empower rural women as

entrepreneurs.

Agricultural cooperatives provide an equitable form of enterprise development

in rural areas which is most suitable for rural women. Therefore, support to

agricultural cooperatives as member-controlled, community-level rural

enterprises will provide the right conditions for improving the livelihood of rural women as entrepreneurs.