FAO Brussels Presents new FAO ‘’Status of Women in Agrifood Systems’’ Report

Agrifood systems are a major employer of both women and men. Globally, 36 percent of working women are employed in agrifood systems, along with 38 percent of working men, reveals The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems report, published by FAO this spring.

The report, the first of its kind since 2010, was presented in Brussels at an event that gathered more than 140 participants from European Union institutions, the federal and regional governments of Belgium, civil society, academic and private sector organizations. 

The event organized by the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels in collaboration with the FAO Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, was the opportunity for a vivid exchange of insights from the speakers’ work on gender equality and women’s empowerment in agrifood systems. The event was moderated by Camilla Brückner, Director of the United Nations in Brussels.

FAO Director of the Liaison Office in Brussels, Raschad Al-Khafaji, welcomed the guests in the Residence Palace and emphasized the central role of gender equality in FAO’s mandate: ‘‘Gender equality and women’s empowerment are embedded in the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31, and the Liaison Office in Brussels will continue to strongly engage with all partners on this’’ he said.

‘’We need bolder, transformative approaches to accelerate gender equality and we encourage all stakeholders to make commitments towards this goal’’ highlighted Máximo Torero Cullen, FAO Chief Economist, in his special remarks.
 ‘’The conclusions from this report will continue to guide our policies because when women and girls thrive, everyone thrives,’’ said Caroline Gennez, Belgian Minister for Development Cooperation and Urban Policy of the Federal Government of Belgium highlighting the report’s focus on national and international policies to ensure gender equality in agrifood systems.

Carla Montesi, Director at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships quoted data from the report: “while 75 percent of policy documents recognize women’s challenges, only 19 percent include policy goals. We plan to use FAO’s new report to improve our work at the European Commission.’’
The event continued with a technical presentation of the main findings by Deputy Director of FAO’s Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division Lauren Phillips. She underscored that “challenges to women’s full and equal employment in agrifood systems hinder their productivity and sustain wage gaps’’.

The report reflects on how gender equality and women’s empowerment are central to the transition towards sustainable and resilient agrifood systems. It also emphasizes how transforming agrifood systems can contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment. 

Following the technical presentation, panelists from the City of Brussel, civil society and the private sector joined FAO in discussing priorities and initiatives necessary to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment in agrifood systems. Lydia Mutyebele Ngoi, Alderwoman for Housing, Public Heritage and Equal Opportunities of the City of Brussels, Dirk Jacobs, Director General of FoodDrink Europe and Maureen Duru, Founder and Director of the FoodBridge, emphasized the importance of supporting female entrepreneurs in the agrifood sector and underlined the key role of the private sector in accelerating efforts to close the gender gap in the EU and globally.

You can watch the recording of the event here.