We cannot end hunger and poverty without empowering both men and women in agrifood systems.
Today, agriculture and food systems face an unprecedented array of challenges. We must feed a growing global population in a context of emerging and persisting crises - economic, energy, environmental, food and social. These include conflicts, natural disasters, price volatility, market insecurity, mass migrations, health crises, and more, all of which are exacerbated by climate change, depletion of natural resources, rapid urbanization, shifts in dietary patterns and livelihood systems.
Faced with these challenges, it is more important than ever to build inclusive, sustainable and resilient agrifood systems, so that the agricultural sector can perform to its full capacity and become more efficient. FAO recognizes that in order to achieve this, we must address the persisting inequalities that effect the underperformance of the agriculture sector in many countries. We need to work with and empower rural women, men, girls and boys.
IN FOCUS
The unjust climate
This report assembles an impressive set of data from 24 low- and middle-income countries in five world regions to measure the effects of climate change on rural women, youths and people living in poverty. It analyses socioeconomic data collected from 109 341 rural households (representing over 950 million rural people) in these 24 countries. These data are combined in both space and time with 70 years of georeferenced data on daily precipitation and temperatures. The data enable us to disentangle how different types of climate stressors affect people’s on-farm, off-farm and total incomes, labour allocations and adaptive actions, depending on their wealth, gender and age characteristics.
IN FOCUS
FAO report The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems
The new FAO report provides a comprehensive picture of the status of women not only in agriculture, but across agrifood systems. It presents extensive data and lessons learned about gender in agrifood systems, with particular focus on how women participate in and benefit from socio-economic opportunities.
IN FOCUS
Country Gender Assessment
The Country Gender Assessment (CGA) provides an update on the situation of women and men in agriculture and the rural sector by country. Based on available data disaggregated by sex and age, each report describes the situation of women and men, as well as their specific roles and opportunities in agriculture and rural economies. The report also highlights gender disparities in access to productive and natural resources, financial and advisory services and decent employment, as well as the implications for the sustainable management of natural resources, food security and nutrition. The CGA offers concrete recommendations for addressing the gender gap and guiding the design and implementation of gender-responsive agricultural and rural development policies, strategies and programmes.
Latest Publications
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Methodologies and Guidelines
Rural women and financial inclusion
25/03/2024
Improving the gender-responsiveness of design and delivery of rural finance interventions through innovative approaches and mechanisms is important...
Publications
Measuring the impacts of climate change on rural poor, women and youth
05/03/2024
This report assembles an impressive set of data from 24 low- and middle-income countries in five world regions to measure the effects of climate change...
Latest Multimedia
Video
FAO Dimitra Clubs promoting equality and inclusion in Syria
03/04/2024
Dimitra Clubs are FAO’s global approach to encourage the engagement of local communities, male and female individuals, couples, local influencers and...
Video
In Türkiye FAO supports investing in women to improve economic opportunities and boost livelihoods
08/03/2024
See how FAO is supporting women in the Turkish agrifood sector to improve their access to economic opportunities and boost their livelihoods. The...
Messages
Tackling the gender gap is crucial to fight food insecurity and the climate crisis
05/03/2024
The groundbreaking FAO report “The Unjust Climate: Measuring the impacts of climate change on the rural poor, women and youth” shows that climate change...
E-learnings
E-learning
Introduction: Achieving gender equality in climate change and agrifood systems
01/12/2023
This introduction will bring in the most critical issues affecting gender equality and explain why they are important for building inclusive and...
E-learning
Course 2: Building equitable and inclusive agrifood systems
01/12/2023
This course is intended to strengthen the knowledge and competencies of parliamentarians and policymakers on the relevance of gender issues...
E-learning
Course 3: Gender-Responsive budgeting for agriculture and climate policies
01/12/2023
This course aims to support parliamentarians in ensuring that adequate financial resources are allocated to achieve food security and gender...
E-learning
Course 1: Addressing gender equality in climate change adaptation and mitigation in agriculture
01/12/2023
The course aims at facilitating the exchange of promising approaches, tools and good practices that can be used by parliamentarians and policymakers...
E-learning
Fish loss assessment methods
01/11/2023
This course presents the set of methods available for assessing losses in the fish value chain.
E-learning
Minimum dietary diversity for women
01/09/2023
This course has been designed to explain how to use the Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W) indicator, with a view to contributing to improved...
E-learning
Enabling women producers’ successful engagement in agribusiness
01/07/2023
This course looks closely at the gender issues that are central to the substantially lower rate of engagement of women farmers, compared with men, in...
E-learning
Securing women’s land rights in the context of agricultural investment
01/07/2023
This course focuses on gender and land issues in the context of agricultural investment. It provides concrete guidance on strategies, approaches and...
E-learning
Fostering decent wage employment for women and men
01/07/2023
This course analyses gender issues that should be addressed to foster gender-equitable decent wage employment in agriculture. It provides concrete guidance...
E-learning
Making agricultural investment and supply chains work for women and men
01/07/2023
This introduction clarifies the rationale and scope of the e-learning series, the target audience it was designed for, and the different courses that...
E-learning
Building a gender-responsive policy and legal framework for agricultural investment and supply chains
01/07/2023
This course focuses on gender issues and the policy and legal framework for agricultural investment and supply chains. It provides concrete guidance...
E-learning
Developing gender-sensitive value chains
01/05/2020
The development of sustainable food systems is a key component of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This course discussed why eliminating...
E-learning
Understanding Rural Poverty
22/06/2019
This course is the first in the Rural Poverty Reduction series, and provides an overview of rural poverty, and why it is so important to overcome...
E-learning
Migration and Gender
01/12/2018
This one-lesson course considers the gender dimension of rural migration. As men and women experience migration differently, to reduce the vulnerability...
E-learning
The Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems
01/03/2018
Through this mobile resource, you will be able to explore the Principles for responsible investment in agriculture and food systems, endorsed by...
E-learning
SDG Indicator 5.a.2 - Ensuring women’s legal rights to land ownership and/or control
01/02/2018
This course focuses on SDG Indicator 5.a.2 which assesses women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control. The course describes the indicator,...
E-learning
SDG Indicator 5.a.1 - Equal tenure rights for women on agricultural land
01/02/2018
This course focuses on SDG Indicator 5.a.1, which is one of two indicators that focus on women’s ownership and/or control over agricultural land....
E-learning
Governing land for women and men
01/11/2017
This course explains the importance to take into account gender and social issues when dealing with land tenure, and what actions must be adopted...
Gender in Food and Nutrition Security
01/10/2014
The course helps raise awareness about the importance of addressing gender equality in food and nutrition security and agricultural policy and programming....
FAO Policy on Gender Equality 2020-2030
Gender equality is essential to achieve FAO's mandate of a world free 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.
Related links
- Fisheries and Aquaculture | Gender equality in fisheries and aquaculture
- FAO Gender-Lex
- Gender mainstreaming | Integrating Agriculture in National Adaptation Plans (NAPs)
- Gender | Policy Support and Governance Gateway
- Joint Programme on Gender Transformative Approaches for Food Security Improved Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture (JP-GTA)
- UN Joint Programme on Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment - JP RWEE
- Rural women | Family Farming Knowledge Platform