Six Pieces of the Innovation Puzzle: Part 6 – Empowering Women

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that if women farmers had the same opportunities as their male counterparts, up to 150 million fewer people would be hungry today. Yet female farmers still struggle for land rights, resource access and the ability to sell their food in a market. Gender equality means food security for more people. The World Bank outlines 10 key policy areas that should be addressed to increase gender equity on farms. The first on the list: Strengthen women’s land rights. Farmers who own their land are more willing to invest in soil health. And as we’ve previously noted, healthy soils equal healthy people. With more land rights and tools to farm, more women will feed their families and their nations. Women with greater earning power embolden the next generation. Women often spend their increased income on health, nutrition and education for their children. Education, in addition to good health and nutrition, drives social and economic progress. By using innovative technologies, women in Bangladesh grow higher quality vegetables for home consumption and to sell at market. They are able to feed more nutritious meals to their children and provide them with an education to fuel the next generation’s ability to financially prosper. Among many other benefits, gender equality increases food security thus developing stronger minds and bodies. Be sure to read the rest of the innovation series and the accompanying infographics. Look out for our wrap-up video that will be released next week. Don’t forget to join the conversation on Twitter @IFDCNews.