Pathway to Address the Neglected Needs and Undervalued Roles of Women Farmers in Timor-Leste

This article aims to reassess the daily role of women farmers, which is affected by gender norms and customs in decision-making in households, farmer groups, and communities. Desktop research reveals that several current agricultural programs aiming to increase agriculture productivity continue to neglect the needs of female farmers. Some studies and surveys on gender roles in agriculture continue to fall into misconceptions and mislead. There is a contradiction in research findings relating to the different roles of women and men in agriculture production. The article contributes to the debate on the dilemma of women-targeting policy, which could be relevant to the collective effort to work for better economic empowerment for women in agriculture.