Empowering women to leave no one behind
Improving women's status and harnessing their potential as "food heroes" will be critical to ending hunger in Africa, the report argues.
©FAO/Sumy Sadurni / FAO
Agrifood systems cannot be transformed unless there is gender equality. That was the simple message underlying the launch today of a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the African Union that puts the spotlight on women's role in agrifood systems.
The report, Leaving no one behind: A Regional Outlook on Gender and Agrifood Systems, was launched by FAO Director-General QU Dongyu and African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture Josefa Sacko at the 31st Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Africa.
"Rural women are the pillars of our food systems and agents of change for food security and climate justice. But they're also disproportionately affected by poverty, inequality, exclusion and the effects of climate change," UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said by video message at the launch.
"This excellent report will make an important contribution to the (2021 UN) Food Systems Summit and to policies and strategies that empower rural women and girls in Africa," she said.