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Women in rural areas have the potential to raise
agricultural production to levels that would feed up to
150 million more of the world’s hungry people if they
had equal access to the means of production, including
land, financial services, education and technology,
according to a United Nations report released today.
The “State of Food and Agriculture” report of the UN
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says that yields
on plots managed by women are lower than those managed
by men because women do not have equal access to
capital.
Gender equality in agriculture
“The report makes a powerful business case for promoting
gender equality in agriculture,” says Jacques Diouf, the
FAO Director-General.
“Gender equality is not just a lofty ideal, it is also
crucial for agricultural development and food security.
We must promote gender equality and empower women in
agriculture to win, sustainably, the fight against
hunger and extreme poverty,” he added.
Giving women the same access as men to agricultural
resources could increase production on women’s farms in
developing countries by 20 to 30 per cent, raising total
farm output in poorer regions by 2.5 to 4 per cent. That
could in turn reduce the number of hungry people in the
world by 12 to 17 per cent, or 100 to 150 million people,
according to the report.
Eliminate all forms of discrimination
An estimated 925 million people in the world were
undernourished in 2010, the vast majority of them in
developing countries.
“We must eliminate all forms of discrimination against
women, ensure that access to resources is more equal and
that agricultural policies and programmes are gender-aware,
and make women’s voices heard in decision-making at all
levels. Women must be seen as equal partners in
sustainable development,” said Mr. Diouf.
Women make up on average 43 per cent of the agricultural
labour force in developing countries, ranging from 20
per cent in Latin America to almost 50 per cent in East
and South-east Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Where rural women are employed, they tend to be
segregated into lower paid occupations and are more
likely to be in less secure forms of employment, such as
seasonal, part-time or low-wage jobs, the agency notes
in its report.
New jobs in high-value export-oriented agro-industries
offer better opportunities for women than traditional
agriculture, the report says.
The report documents gender gaps in the access to a wide
range of agricultural resources, including land,
livestock, farm labour, education, extension services,
credit, fertilizers and equipment.
Women in all regions generally have less access to land
than men. For those developing countries for which data
are available, between 3 and 20 per cent of all
landholders are women. The share of women in the
agricultural labour force is much higher and ranges from
20 to 50 per cent in developing countries.
Empower women in agriculture
“Women farmers typically achieve lower yields than men,
not because they are less skilled, but because they
operate smaller farms and use fewer inputs like
fertilizers, improved seeds and tools,” said Terri Raney,
editor of the report.
“Evidence from many countries shows that policies can
promote gender equality and empower women in agriculture
and rural employment. The first priority is to eliminate
discrimination under the law,” said Ms. Raney.
“In many countries women do not have the same rights as
men to buy, sell or inherit land, to open a savings
account or borrow money, to sign a contract or sell
their produce. Where legal rights exist on paper, they
often are not honoure.
Swisslatin (08.03.2011) |
