In December 2024, a leading-edge study by WorldFish and partners began uncovering how gender dynamics influence fish loss and waste in fisheries value chains.  Researchers launched the study in Mombasa, Kenya, bringing together global and local institutions to address an often-overlooked challenge in fisheries—fish loss and waste (FLW). At the...

Samkhuy Community Fisheries (CFi), located along the Sekong River in Stung Treng Province, Cambodia, has 242 members, including 134 women. Since its establishment in 2015, the village has been transformed through sustainable livelihoods and natural resource management. A significant shift towards gender-inclusive leadership with five out of seven committee members...

The FAO, in partnership with Thompson Rivers University (TRU), is amplifying the voices of Indigenous women researchers through academic platforms, recognizing them as vital knowledge holders in agri-food systems, biodiversity conservation, and climate action. Indigenous women, often invisible in data and decision-making, play a crucial role as seed keepers, food...

Census data show that Afro-descendant people experience greater levels of inequality, marginalization and discrimination, especially in rural areas. This situation is more pronounced in Afro-descendant women and youth, for whom opportunities to access land ownership, basic services, quality education and housing, among others, are much scarcer. This delicate situation is...

In Ghana, women face challenges such as poverty, illiteracy, restricted legal rights, and entrenched gender roles, impeding their empowerment. Despite these barriers, they exhibit remarkable resilience, often through active engagement in community development initiatives. Previous studies highlight the importance of collective solidarity and intergenerational support in fostering resilience among Ghanaian...

The Upper West Region of Ghana experiences flooding and prolonged dry spells every year, which contributes to declining agriculture productivity. Climate change is not only reshaping ecosystems and economies but also transforming gender roles and power relations within rural communities. The ongoing persistent changes influence how women in particular gain...

Though poverty appears feminised in sub-Saharan Africa, rural women are more susceptible to poverty and suppression compared to women in urban areas. State care policies are not sufficient to ameliorate the conditions vulnerable women are confronted with; occasioned by intersectionalities with gender. It is against this backdrop that this study...

In the heart of Guatemala’s Antigua coffee growing region, a group of determined women are cultivating more than just coffee, they’re collectively cultivating a change in the coffee industry. The Women Caficultora Network is not only a group of coffee producers, but a group of women that showcase powerful movements...

The intrinsic and instrumental value of gender equality and women’s empowerment isrecognized by Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5. Evidence on positive changes towomen’s empowerment in agriculture and livestock interventions is expanding but isstill relatively limited. Portfolios of projects focused on women’s empowerment throughagriculture and livestock interventions can provide key insights...

Socially and culturally constructed gender norms are widely recognized as a major obstacle for women and other underrepresented groups in achieving social and economic empowerment and participating in political processes. The pressures of domestic and caregiving responsibilities, along with restrictive norms that suppress the voices, agency, mobility, and earning potential...

Livestock is a key sector in Uganda, contributing approximately 4.3% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Nearly 60% of households depend on livestock for their livelihoods, with women and youth playing crucial roles in livestock production. However, restrictive social and gender norms limit their ability to fully benefit from...

Since the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28), under the UAE-Bélem work programme, nominated experts have been working to develop a set of indicators to help track progress in climate change adaptation. Experts from the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Women’s Environment and Development Organization, and Practical Action review...

Gender discrimination in rural areas across Bangladesh continues to be a formidable barrier to both social and economic development, particularly in the agricultural sector. Despite their critical roles in farming, processing, and post-harvest activities, rural women face entrenched inequalities in wages, opportunities, and recognition. As Shahnaz Begum, a farmer from...

Democracies around the world are under growing threat. The rise of far-right authoritarianism has triggered a wave of democratic backsliding—marked by targeted attacks on human rights, civic space, judicial independence, and media freedom.1 A central feature of this rollback is the growing backlash against gender equality. Authoritarian actors across the...

In an age of global instability, women and girls hold the key to stability in rural areas. But deep-rooted discrimination prevents them from building better futures for themselves, their households and their communities. Today, global dynamics are further eroding their rights. Rural women produce much of the world’s food but own...

Women face a disproportionate burden of malnutrition and food insecurity. Research has shown that women's empowerment can buffer women against nutritional problems. This paper contributes to ongoing efforts to measure women's empowerment that are both context-sensitive and universal, focusing on the recently developed Women's Empowerment in Nutrition Index (WENI). Earlier...

This article highlights the significance of empowering women in India’s rural regions through education, skill development, and employment opportunities. It discusses how access to resources, government schemes, and financial independence can uplift women and drive social and economic development. The article emphasizes that empowering rural women not only improves their...

Chaquilla Alta, ubicada en el departamento de Potosí, Bolivia, es una de las tantas zonas rurales que enfrentan desafíos como la pobreza y el acceso limitado a servicios básicos. En este lugar, la agricultura de subsistencia y nuestras tradiciones culturales siempre han ocupado un lugar central. Sin embargo, durante mucho...

En este episodio de la serie Legados conocerás cómo la creación de redes y espacios de gobernanza territorial entre Paraguay, Argentina y Bolivia ha sido fundamental para integrar a las poblaciones locales y cambiar profundamente sus vidas.  Legados es una serie de episodios en la que contamos algunos de los procesos...

Why food systems science matters? Food system science and innovation can transform food systems to deliver across the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda (Figure 2). It is the foundation that decision-makers at local, national, regional, and global levels can use to make informed decisions that result in food systems that: Support regeneration rather...