Co-published by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the CIHEAM, the Watch letter n ° 40 "Strengthening the role of women in rural and agricultural areas - Obstacles and opportunities" aims to show different perspectives of the situation in the Mediterranean region by analyzing the challenges and opportunities in the socio-economic, social, environmental, legal and political domains.

The contributions allow us to better understand the mechanisms of discrimination, to identify the levers of change and to share good practices. A fundamental exercise to renew given the significant deficit in the collection and processing of sex-disaggregated data.

ARTICLES

• Table of content
• Editorial
• Hommage à Cosimo Lacirignola, Feu Secrétaire général du CIHEAM
• Leaving No One Behind: Women in Rural Communities Are Key to a Sustainable, Food Secure Future - Commission on the Status of Women 2018 - Mohammad Naciri
• Palestinian Women Empowerment in Rural Areas: 35 years of achievements in collaboration with PARC and rural women - Athar Hodali
• FAO's commitment to empowering rural women in the Near East and North Africa region - Szilvia Lehel
• Working against the grain: Voices of women from rural areas in Bulgaria - Petya Stavrera
• Gender and climate induced migrations in the Mediterranean Region - Monia Braham
• Agriculture familiale et genre dans le Nord de la méditerranée (cas de l'Italie) - Catia Zumpano
• Les septs de chemins de l'agriculture à la nutrition et l'empowerment des femmes: transformations et manipulations d'un modèle graphique - Elisabeth Hofmann et Jean Etienne Bidou
• Strategies on women empowerment and gender equality: how to reduce the gap between rural women and institutions - Rosanna Quagliariello
• Promouvoir les modes de garde collectifs dans les territoires ruraux: une opportunité de répondre à l'ensemble des ODD et notamment d'égalité des sexes  - François Fatou
• The impact of discriminatory social institutions on rural women's empowerment - Gaëlle Ferrand et Alejandra Meneses
• The role of Women in Urban Agriculture and Food Security in Beit Lahia City, Gaza Strip - HadiFathi Khalil and Husam Al Najar
• La percée des filles dans l'enseignement agricole technique français: entre obstacles et opportunités - Joachim Benet
• Evaluation et chiffrage du rôle socio-économique et culturel des femmes dans les petites et moyennes exploitations agricoles du sud du Maroc - BEN EL AHMAR Mustapha
• Faiminisme - Nora Bouazzouni
• The European Parliament's Work on Women in Rural Areas - Rosa Llobregat
• The impact of Socioeconomic characteristics  on Empowerment of Bedouin women in Egypt - Elham Abdelaal
• The impact of gender inequalities on food security: what policies are needed? - Marcela Villareal
• BOX 1: L'exemple du bureau d'Appui à la femme rurale (Tunisie) - Narjess Hamrouni Idriss
• BOX 2: Promotion of the Practice of Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) at the Household Level among Women in the Bedouin Community of Qatrana in the Karak Governate/ Jordan - Tala Khrais
• BOX 3: Autopromotion des couches vulnérables (Femmes et jeunes filles) par la mise en place d'Activités Génératrices de Revenus (AGR) à Bordj Bou Arreridj (Algérie) - Smail Izerrouken et Houria Belouahri