Nale (M) 91 105 6 201 Female (F) 90 108 7 205 West Africa M plus F 56 62 3 121 Nale 28 31 1 60 Female 28 31 2 61 East Africa M plus F 52 60 3 115 Male 26 29 2 57 Female 26 31 1 58 North Africa M plus F 41 50 3 94 Male 21 25 1 47 Female 20 25 2 47 Central Africa N plus F 20 25 2 47 Male 10 12 1 23 Female 10 13 1 24 Southern Africa M plus F 12 16 1 29 Male 6 8 14 Female 6 8 1 15 Source: p~~99E~P~}£_~~~!P99~_}279, (United Nations publica­tion,-sales No. E/F.BO.XIII.l). 20. Women perform a great diversity of tasks which are frag­ mented and very often not remunerated. Their contribution to agriculture is increasingly recognized particularly in food production but their work is still regarded as a mere appendage to work done by men. It is therefore difficult to have a precise evaluation of their contribution since this is usually grossly underestimated in labour and national income statistics. 21. An ECA study estimates that women account for some 60-80 per cent of agricultural production. Although there are visible dif­ ferences from one country or ethnic group to another the women of Africa south of the Sahara, in particular, play a more impor­ tant role in agriculture·. The evaluation of the work of women in Korth African countries is more onerous since statistics on labour do not very often take into account the seasonal contribu­ tion of women at weeding and harvest time. 153 E/ECA/CH.9/5 Table IX.2 Rural active population according to sex (Percentage) -----------------------------------------------------------------Date Men Women -----------------------------------------------------------------Ivory Coast 1973/74 47.3 52.7 Mali 1977/78 49.3 50.3 Togo 1970 42.3 57.7 Central African Republic 1973/74 42.7 57.3 Chad (Satigui-Deressa) 1970/71 49.3 50.7 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the role of women in agriculture, particularly in Africa, and highlights the difficulty in evaluating their contribution due to the lack of accurate statistics. It also provides data on the rural active population according to sex in several African countries. This suggests that the text is related to the fields of agriculture and employment, as it focuses on the work and contributions of women in rural areas.

**Category**
Agriculture, forestry and fishing, Employment