Seeds and foods that are rooted in ancient traditions and practices can be a major contributor to people’s physical, mental and spiritual health. Women farmers in the North East of the United Kingdom are saving and exchanging traditional seeds, which is giving them a sense of abundance. In a garden at Montana University...

This document provides general and technical information about the province of Balochistan, focusing on its geography, political context, economic relevance of agriculture, people, agriculture, and livelihoods. It also discusses the role of women and youth in agriculture, food security, nutrition, health, agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and agroecological zones.The...

La agricultura es una de las actividades económicas más importantes de Bolivia, representando el 12% del PIB del país. Sin embargo, la productividad agrícola es una de las más bajas de América del Sur. En el BID trabajamos para potenciar el sector agropecuario de Bolivia y, a su vez, empoderar...

The World Bank’s Gender Strategy (2024-2030) aims to tackle both formal and informal barriers to gender inequality, including power imbalances that often affect women and girls disproportionally. To achieve enduring gender equality, there must be collective action to influence transformative changes in laws, policies, and programming grounded in a deeper...

This article describes how Action Education is empowering rural women in India, particularly in Assam and Odisha, through education, vocational training, and financial inclusion. In Assam, 20 women entrepreneurs formed a cooperative to produce traditional textiles, improving their incomes and gaining official recognition. Individual success stories, like that of Rina,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

This technical study highlights the role of discriminatory social institutions, unequal power relations and agency in influencing climate resilience processes for sustainable agrifood systems. It also defines core characteristics of gender transformative change in climate resilience programming and presents a collection of climate change interventions that address different dimensions of...

In the town of Berd, Armenia, a group of women farmers are proving the power of collaboration through the "Berd Bean" Women’s Association. Faced with challenges like fragmented landholdings and limited market access, they have joined forces to cultivate and market beans more efficiently. With support from the LEAD programme,...

This first progress report, published one year after the launch of FAO’s Commit to Grow Equality (CGE) initiative, presents an overview of the initiative and highlights 17 commitments made by CGE partners to advance gender equality and women's empowerment in agrifood systems.The report outlines the CGE Commitments Matrix along which...