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FAO: more power to women in the fight against hunger and poverty Double

March 8, 2011

Gender equality is crucial for agricultural development and food security

If women in rural areas had the same opportunities as men in terms of access to land, technology, financial services, education and markets, agricultural production could increase and, consequently, the number of people suffering from hunger could be reduced. The report

The State of Food and Agriculture ', compiled by FAO on the occasion of International Women's Day, confirms the importance of eliminating All Forms of Discrimination against Women to win the fight against hunger and poverty .

The report estimates that if the developing countries there was gender equality in agriculture production could increase by 20-30 percent. This would increase the total agricultural production in developing countries of 2.5 / 4 percent, a factor which, in turn, lead to a reduction in the number of people suffering from hunger in the world of 12-17 per cent, namely a reduction of 100-150 million people. In 2010, an estimated 925 million people worldwide were undernourished, of which 906 million live in developing countries.

Women constitute on average 43 per cent of the agricultural labor force in developing countries: from 20% in Latin America with nearly 50% in East and Southeast Asia and Africa sub -Saharan Africa. The proportion is higher in some countries and within countries varies significantly.

According to the report, working conditions of men are better than those of women who tend to be employed in low-wage occupations or lower.

As stated by the editor of the report Teddy Raney, the priority is to eliminate discriminatory laws. "In many countries - said Raney - women do not have the same rights men to buy, sell or inherit the earth, to open a savings account or borrow money, to sign a contract or to sell their products. If the legal rights exist on paper, are often not honored in practice. "

Yet gender equality is therefore not just "a noble ideal, but it is also crucial for agricultural development and food security . As explained by the Director General of FAO Jacques Diouf, it is necessary to "promote gender equality and the empowerment of women in agriculture in order to win, so sustainable the fight against extreme poverty and hunger. "



AP

Source: change