This blog post is part of a special series on the global and regional food security implications of high food and fertilizer prices originally stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and now exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war. 

This study explores how livelihood assets, strategies for accessing the assets, and enabling and discouraging factors in the value chain shapes the inclusion of women and youth in on-farm, off-farm and non-farm activities. It is based on the Safeguarding Sahelian Wetlands for Food Security (SaWeL) program that aims to make...

The Secretariat of the World Banana Forum (WBF), a multi-stakeholder network coordinated by the Markets and Trade Division (EST) of FAO, is delighted to extend an invitation to Members to the Fourth Global Conference of the World Banana Forum, to be held at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy on Tuesday, 12...

SDG 5 calls for achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. Women spend far more time on unpaid and domestic work than men, on average an additional 2.4 hours a day. One in five girls get married before the age of 18. Climate change threatens to worsen these...

Since 2013, IFAD has recognized projects from every corner of the world that go the extra mile for gender equality. Acknowledging that sustainable development is impossible without rural women. Their empowerment is crucial to transforming food systems, building thriving rural communities and creating lasting prosperity for all. Let’s visit the five inspiring...

During the interview, Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), shed light on the pressing challenges facing family farming, particularly in the context of climate change. Lario underscored the essential role of small-scale farmers in global food security, highlighting their contributions to feeding billions of people...

Around the world, the agricultural sector relies heavily on women, especially in developing countries, but women’s restricted access to essential resources, hinders their agricultural productivity, resulting in increased poverty. A promising solution to this is agroforestry, a climate-smart agricultural practice which increases land productivity, providing socioeconomic and ecological benefits. Women’s...

This issue brief explores the women-led interventions to transform water security, stewardship, and management underway around the world to better understand the link between water security and gender equality and identify fruitful pathways to achieving both goals. Our analysis demonstrates the costs associated with undervaluing women’s expertise in water management,...

In this self-paced online course, you will learn the fundamentals of gender and social inclusion in forest landscapes restoration (FLR). The course focuses on gender inequalities, gender-differentiated impacts and opportunities to address inequalities for more equitable and sustainable FLR, to build the abilities and understanding of diverse stakeholders on the...

In 1992 the United Nations committed to promoting a gender perspective in all environmental and development programs and to establishing mechanisms for assessing the impact of environmental policies on women. However, 30 years later most countries acknowledge that they have not integrated that perspective into policy assessments. This paper provides...

The agricultural and rural development policy seeks to facilitate the transition towards environmentally sustainable and climate-neutral agricultural practices, with a focus on human capital, knowledge, and innovation. Gender equality can play a significant role in promoting environmentally sustainable practices in the agricultural sector, particularly through the adoption and implementation of...

The impacts of the climate and biodiversity crises on people’s livelihoods and opportunities differ greatly based on their gender and other intersecting identity factors. Populations that face systemic marginalization and discrimination are often disproportionately affected.  International actors and scientific bodies, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental...

Improving the gender-responsiveness of design and delivery of rural finance interventions through innovative approaches and mechanisms is important for promoting rural women’s economic empowerment. This document highlights practical and actionable approaches from the sector in order to guide the work of practitioners engaging at country level to pursue the above...

Learning and applying simple financial management rules can rapidly improve the economic wellbeing of an individual or family. Yet, in rural areas of Kyrgyzstan, there is a general lack of knowledge around basic principles of financial management, hindering household economic development. Although land is a key asset in rural areas,...

This report presents the design and results of a baseline survey with respect to a project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) focusing on empowering women in small-scale fisheries. The project supports the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the...

Investing in women within agrifood systems is crucial for global economic growth and reducing hunger. The FAO's Commit to Grow Equality initiative calls for significant financing and partnerships to empower women in agriculture. High-level speakers at the launch event underscored the importance of gender equality for economic development. The initiative...

It is critical to address the challenges and structural inequalities that hold women back in agrifood systems. FAO is launching a global commitment process to enhance financing for gender equality and women’s empowerment in agrifood systems. Bringing together governments, philanthropy, private sector, United Nations and other multilateral agencies, civil society...

To advance the use of gender-transformative approaches in climate-resilient agriculture (CRA), a review of practical resources that could support researchers and practitioners in applying gender and CRA was undertaken. The review consolidates and assesses diverse, practical resources—including research tools, methods and broader guidance—that aim to address gender inequalities/inequities, climate and...

Nestled in the vast plains of Georgia, in the shadows of the snow-covered Caucasus mountains, Malika Machalikashvili’s farm in Pankisi Gorge was once pretty traditional. She and her family shared the day-to-day work of caring for the livestock and poultry, gardening the vegetables and taking care of the hazelnut orchard,...

Women in agrifood systems in low- and middle-income countries are more likely than mento be adversely affected by climate change. They also have more limited climate-adaptivecapacities due to socioeconomic and cultural factors, such as restricted access to resources,information and technology, discriminatory gender norms, and limited decision-makingpower. This study examines the...