Hunger experts at an FAO meeting in Rome said that if women farmers had the same access as men to land, tools, and credit, crop yields would rise by at least a third and there would be 150 million fewer hungry people in the world, Reuters reports.
Women and girls comprise nearly half of the world’s agricultural workforce (60 percent in parts of Africa and Asia), yet they own less than 20 percent of the land, according to FAO. “They work on average 12 hours a week more than men in developing countries, and reinvest up to 90 percent of their earnings back into their households,” Reuters says.
“If we are serious about putting an end to poverty and hunger once and for all, then we all need to step up our support for rural women,” said Neven Mimica, the EU commissioner for international cooperation and development.
The experts cautioned that, with climate change already dramatically affecting agriculture around the world, time is running short to close the gender gap in farming.
“In the absence of concerted effort to address the gender gap in agriculture in the context of the changing climate, rural women are at risk of being trapped in a downward spiral,” said Maria Noel Vaeza, director of programs at U.N. Women. “Conversely, key initiatives that address this gap — such as secure land tenure, greater financial inclusion and access to information and markets — are also essential to accelerate the adoption of climate smart agriculture.”