The need to provide equal access to land is more urgent than ever. Land is a crucial means for food production and rural income. To meet the global goals for food security, rural populations should be able to count on adequate land to produce more and better-quality food, and at the same time improve their economic situation. Without secure land tenure, women and men farmers have little or no access to credit, rural organizations and other agricultural inputs and services. Numerous case studies and surveys carried out by FAO and other development organizations show that women do not have equal rights to land. FAO supported studies in Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Lesotho, Nicaragua, Senegal clearly illustrate that women’s access to land and other productive resources is limited. Despite efforts to protect women’s rights, legal, economic and socio-cultural barriers persist.
