Time to recognize women’s critical role in agriculture (1)

Despite women’s significant contributions to our agrifood systems in the Asia-Pacific region, women continue to face persistent obstacles, including limited access to resources, services, and discriminatory practices all along the food value chain. As we gather to celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day it is time for action to fully recognize women’s indispensable role in the fields, in the factories, and those running small and medium-sized companies, associations, and cooperatives — all of which produce the nutritious food we eat each day.

But recognizing and acknowledging this is not enough. In Asia and the Pacific, there is a critical need for financial investments to achieve gender equality in agrifood systems. This would play a huge role in the region’s agrifood systems transformation — now underway across the region — a transformation endorsed by 40 FAO Member Nations at the recently convened FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

This year’s IWD theme, “Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress,” underscores the urgency not only to increase investments but also to ensure better investments for creating an enabling environment and sustainable results toward gender equality.

While the importance of investing in women’s economic empowerment is well-established, financial investments, specifically those geared towards gender equality within the economic and productive sectors, have remained inadequate. This underinvestment has contributed to insufficient progress in advancing women’s economic empowerment and hindering women’s opportunities in agrifood systems.

According to FAO data from 2023, by narrowing the gender gap in farm productivity and the wage gap in agrifood system employment, the world’s gross domestic product would rise by 1 percent (nearly US$1 trillion). This would also reduce global food insecurity by about two percentage points, decreasing the number of food-insecure people by 45 million.

So, what can we, collectively, do to bridge this financial investment gap? In addressing this question, it is imperative to thoroughly review both traditional and innovative financial and policy instruments. Gender Responsive Budgeting is a key approach, but it is essential to recognize the wide array of strategies available for investing in women. We need to hear more from women, we need to learn from their past successes and focus on impact by accelerating investment. This should create space for development partners, including rural women and their communities, to share experiences and join forces to create a realistic chance of achieving the 2030 agenda, where gender equality is essential.

While addressing visible gender gaps is crucial, efforts to promote the voice and leadership of women and tackle the root causes of gender-based inequalities are equally important for ensuring long-term results. (To be continued)

(Jong-Jin Kim is Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.)