The latest report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) shows that addressing gender inequality in the agricultural and food system and empowering women can reduce hunger, boost economic development, and enhance resilience against the impact of climate change and the COVID-19.
The report points out that globally, 36% of female workers and 38% of male workers are employed in the agricultural and food system. However, the role of women tends to be marginalized, with more involvement in informal, informal, part-time, low-skilled, labor-intensive jobs, and their working conditions may not be as good as those of men. Women engaged in paid agricultural work are in a similar situation, with their income being 82% of that of men. In addition, women's land ownership protection is insufficient, with limited access to credit and training, and must adapt to technologies designed for men. In addition to discrimination, such inequalities also result in a 24% land productivity gap between farms of the same size managed by women and men.
The Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, Qu Dongyu, stated in the preface of the report that if we can address the widespread gender inequality in the agricultural and food systems and empower women, the world will make a leap in implementing the goals of eradicating poverty and building a world free from hunger.
Research has pointed out that narrowing the wage gap between men and women in agricultural productivity and employment in the agricultural food system will increase global gross domestic product by nearly $1 trillion, helping 45 million people overcome food insecurity.
Similarly, women's empowerment projects can have greater benefits than simple gender mainstreaming projects. The report author clarifies that if half of the development interventions in the agricultural and food system focus on women's empowerment, it will help promote a significant increase in income for 58 million people. Similarly, the resilience of 235 million people will be significantly enhanced.
An efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agricultural food system relies on empowering all women and achieving gender equality. Women have never been absent from the agricultural food system. Now, we also need to make the agricultural food system value women
