FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean

Gender Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean face a context of economic slowdown, with an increase in food insecurity, malnutrition and the risks associated with climate change. This situation strongly affects rural women and constitutes a significant obstacle to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.

That is why FAO is committed to promoting gender equality and protecting women's rights as fundamental human rights.

Consequently, FAO Policy on Gender Equality 2020-2030 mandates the Organization to focus its work on achieving equality between women and men in sustainable agriculture and rural development with a view to eliminating hunger and poverty.

This site reports on the work in favour of gender equality carried out by FAO in cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean States, providing information on initiatives, good practices, methodologies and tools that contribute to the achievement of gender equality.

Stories
Rural women in Haiti invest in themselves

Village savings and loan associations help Haitian women build their businesses and futures

Women move mountains

Supporting inspiring mountain women as they overcome discrimination, livelihood disruptions and climate challenges to carve out new futures

Mujeres Rurales, Mujeres con Derechos [Rural Women, Women With Rights] Campaign

The campaign convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is a collaborative work initiative that joins efforts, articulates networks, disseminates knowledge and positive experiences to promote the full autonomy of women in the rural world.

Since 2016 this campaign articulates government entities, civil society organisations and United Nations agencies around regional and national advocacy actions in favour of the empowerment of rural women in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Actions
YearAction
2016Regional social media campaign
2017Regional campaign on social networks and competitions at territorial level.
2018Regional social media campaign and platform to energize sub-regional agendas.
2019Days of social media activism and national activities.
2020-2021Regional campaign on social networks and competitions at territorial level.
Featured publications
01/2023

The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems report provides the latest data, lessons learned and recommendations for policy and decision makers about gender in agrifood systems. It reviews and analyzes women’s opportunities and constraints in economic and social processes, while taking stock and assessing progress made in closing a series of gender gaps.

11/2022

In Latin America and the Caribbean, access to food and nutritional security, the poverty situation, and the capacity to respond to climate change are strongly related to gender, ethnic-racial origin, age group, and territory differences. A situation that demands observing the intertwined nature of these inequalities and proposing new ways to achieve sustainable development, leaving no one behind.

06/2021

Gender equality is essential to achieve FAO’s mandate of a world free from hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. The Organization recognizes that persisting inequalities between women and men are a major obstacle to agriculture and rural development and that eliminating these disparities is essential to building sustainable and inclusive food systems and resilient and peaceful societies.

Transformative initiatives

Peru

Dec 20, 2023, 12:59 PM
Title : Peru
Open on load : No
National Agricultural Innovation Programme

The National Agricultural Innovation Programme of the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, funded by the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, and implemented by the National Institute for Agricultural Innovation, seeks to promote the development of productive, inclusive and sustainable agriculture. The aim is to improve the competitiveness and profitability of small and medium-sized agricultural producers. 

In this way, the project promoted the empowerment of rural women by providing support and advice to women producers and their organisations. 

Reducing the vulnerability of rural women and their livelihoods for resilient agriculture

There are significant gender gaps in Peru that prevent rural women from achieving full autonomy. For example, out of a total of 691 921 women producers, women manage 22.6 percent (3.1 million hectares) of the total agricultural area.

In addition, 26.6 percent of women producers cannot read or write, only 3.2 percent have received technical assistance or training, and only 6.4 percent have access to credit.

in this context, FAO, the Peruvian Government institutions and the Spanish Cooperation are promoting a project to reduce the vulnerability of rural women and their livelihoods for resilient agriculture.

This project works in three important areas: public policy, gender-focused field schools and women-led bio-businesses.

In this way, the gender approach has been incorporated into the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation's budget programme for Technical Assistance and Rural Extension. 

The budget target for the Municipal Incentive Programme with a gender focus has been influenced, and agroclimatic and vulnerability assessments of rural women have been carried out.

Field schools have enabled the training and certification of women. Likewise, their economic and social empowerment has been promoted, making visible the importance of generating positive environmental impacts.

FAO has identified three key actions to boost the empowerment of rural women working in agriculture:

  1. Conduct gender training for all field facilitators.
  2. Mainstream gender into all phases of the project or intervention.
  3. Work hand in hand with specialized gender institutions. 
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Contact

Ricardo Rivera

Communicator for the Thriving and Inclusive Rural Societies Regional Initiative

FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean

Constanza Soudy

Communications Assistant for Gender and Indigenous Peoples

[email protected]