This paper represents work in progress and is circulated for discussion and comment. Views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors, and do not represent official positions or endorsement of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), or the International Labour Office (ILO). Rural women producers and cooperatives in conflicts settings in the Arab States Simel Esim and Mansour Omeira International Labour Organization, Regional Office for the Arab States, Lebanon Paper presented at the FAO-IFAD-ILO Workshop on Gaps, trends and current research in gender dimensions of agricultural and rural employment: differentiated pathways out of poverty Rome, 31 March - 2 April 2009