RESUMEN
PIP: This paper assesses existing gender relations in agriculture with the view that the gender issue must be explicitly appraised and incorporated into development planning in order to achieve environmentally sustainable agriculture. The paper opens with a discussion of the reasons why women are more affected by poverty than men, a brief review of studies indicating that men are more privileged than women and children in almost all societies, and the emerging understanding that women have always been involved in sustaining food security. The next section considers the importance of agriculture for sustainable development and for economic development in general. The paper continues with a brief review of women's status in various societies as revealed by anthropological, archeological, and historical evidence. Gender analysis is seen as essential for solving agricultural and environmental problems because it exposes inequality, exploitation, or oppression and leads to a proper acknowledgement of women's role in agriculture. After a review of the results of studies of gender differences in agriculture, the paper points to the importance of considering the managerial role of women in agricultural production and their use of natural resources as well as their role as laborers. In conclusion, it is recommended that a research agenda be composed to: 1) apply a gender analysis to the history of agricultural civilization; 2) emphasize the difficulties associated with measuring, appraising, and recording time expended; 3) focus on the full range of activities, work, and duties in a typical farming community; 4) determine the likely desirable variant of gender diversity in a given culture; and 5) develop focused, comprehensive research designs that will facilitate compatibility assessment, verifiability, and replicability.^ieng