The Maldives Country Gender Assessment of Agriculture and the Rural Sector (CGA-ARS, or CGA) report was prepared to inform the country-level planning of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in line with the national development priorities of Maldives and FAO’s corporate Country Programme Framework (CPF) guidelines1 and as mandated by FAO’s Policy on Gender Equality. The objective of the report is to highlight existing gender inequalities in agriculture and the rural sector in Maldives.

The CGA was commissioned by FAO Sri Lanka under the overall supervision of Nina Brandstrup, FAO Representative for Sri Lanka and Maldives. The report was drafted by Aminath Latheefa, National Consultant, under the direct guidance and with close engagement of Shafia Aminath, FAO National Correspondent in Maldives. The technical review was carried out by Tina Jayaratnam, Liaison Officer and Gender Focal Point of
FAO Sri Lanka and Clara Mi Young Park, Regional Gender Officer, with Bettina Gatt of the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
This comprehensive gender analysis of the agriculture and rural sectors was made possible thanks to the cooperation and response of the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture in Maldives, state service providers,
non-governmental and civil society organizations, and farmers who shared their experiences and provided valuable input on gender dynamics in the fisheries and agriculture sectors.