Gender equality is key to transform agrifood systems and fight hunger

Overcoming gender inequality can play a key role in freeing the world from hunger and malnutrition, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, said today amid evidence that the food security gap between men and women has widened.

“Women are key actors across agrifood systems, and key contributors to agricultural and rural development,” said Qu in his address to the inaugural High-Level Dialogue, which was brought together by the Food Coalition and was entitled The impact of global crises on food security: women as key agents in transforming agrifood systems. “But if we want to build agrifood systems that benefit all people, leaving no one behind, we must overcome gender inequality,” Qu added.

There is evidence that the underlying drivers of the increase in hunger witnessed over recent years – conflict, climate shocks and economic downturns – have hit women harder than men. The food security gender gap grew even larger during the year in which the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world, with the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity 10% higher among women than men in 2020, compared to 6% in 2019.

The Director-General also noted that women comprise nearly half of the rural workforce in low-income countries. Yet “everywhere, rural women face gender-based constraints that limit their potential,” Qu said.

“We must act now to transform our agrifood systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all, leaving no one behind. To reach this objective we need the full participation of women in developing and implementing solutions,” Qu said.

Learn more