Introduction : rural gender studies in North and South / Bettina B. Bock -- Gender and farming : an overview / Sally Shortall -- Gender relations and livelihood strategies / Monica Gorman -- Commodity production and farm women's work / Susan Machum -- Farm women in Slovenia / Majda Cernic Istenic -- The informalization of farm employment / Andrienetta Kritzinger -- Women and sustainable agriculture / Sarah Tufts Rickson, Roy E. Rickson and David Burch -- Gender at the border / Janet D. Momsen -- Gender and rural migration : an overview / Bettina B. Bock -- The gendered impact of drought / Margaret Alston -- Rural idylls or boring places? / Marit S. Haugen and Mariann Villa -- Rural immigrations and female employment / Apostolos G. Papadopoulos -- Gender and rural politics : an overview / Sally Shortall -- Gender and rural development budgets / Bettina B. Bock and P. Derkzen -- Collective action among rural women in India / Jo-Anne Everingham -- CAP regulations and farm household relations / Constantina Safilios-Rothschildt -- Rurality and gender identity : an overview / Bettina B. Bock -- Rural women and the environment / Carolyn Sachs -- Economic status and gender roles / Sally Shortall -- Rural health and well-being / Ruth Panelli -- Embodying family farm work / Berit Brandth -- Queer countryside revisited / David Bell -- Conclusions - future directions / Sally Shortall