In a high-level event co-organized by several international institutions in 2016 for achieving gender equality in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it was established that rural women empowerment holds the key to ending hunger and poverty. It is also critical for agricultural development.
Unfortunately, despite constituting 43% of the global agricultural labor force, female farmers face socio-economic-cultural constraints which prevent them as well as the agriculture sector to realize full potential. Let’s take a look at these challenges.
1. Lack of Recognition
Women farmers put in as much blood and sweat as their male counterparts to grow food for the world. However, their contribution is overlooked. Their role is usually termed as ‘helpers’ or ‘secondary farm hands’. They are the ‘invisible workforce’ which fails to get recognition from government, media, and industry. Consequently, they don’t get equal opportunities in education and training in farming activities.
2. Lack of Land Ownership
40% of economies limit women’s property rights. Female farmers either don’t own farming land or even if they do, the property is usually managed by a male member of the family. Several agricultural families purchase land in women’s names to get benefits from women’s welfare schemes. Hence, female farmers struggle to exercise discretion on the usage of farming land or claim social benefits independently.
3. Lack of Right to Decision-Making
Female farmers are also often considered unskilled or unknowledgeable due to deep-rooted gender bias. Hence, they are often excluded from decision-making regarding farming activities. They barely get a voice to give their opinions or feedback which if taken into consideration might provide crucial insights.
4. Lack of Access to Resources and Markets
Women farmers often have mobility or cultural constraints which restrict their access to seeds, fertilizers, credit, markets, technology, etc. Even if they can, gender norms and discrimination prevent them from equal access. As a result, they are unable to optimize their farm productivity.
Surprisingly (in a good way!), evidence indicates that if female farmers in developing countries had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by 20–30% and raise the total agricultural output by 2.5–4%. This would reduce the number of hungry people in the world by around 12–17%!
5. Unpaid or Unequal Pay and Double Burden
Female farmers in most societies expend extra effort than men. They have multiple responsibilities — working on farms, managing household chores, childcare, etc. However, the remuneration for their agricultural work is either unpaid or underpaid. The additional burden of domestic duties with no support from family is not only unpaid work but also puts a strain on their well-being. Women typically work 12–13 hours more per week than men in developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific.
If women get financial empowerment, they can reap its benefits in various other ways. Research indicates that when more income is put into the hands of women, it can improve child nutrition, health, and education.
6. Empowering Female Farmers
Female farmers deserve equal recognition, encouragement, and assistance as their male peers. This is possible only when they get a level-playing field. Here are approaches to empower them:
Conclusion
Female farmers’ contribution is vital for food security and sustainable agriculture. Hence, all stakeholders need to make sincere efforts in bridging the gender gap and giving them equal opportunities. There is no better way to explain this than the beautiful analogy given by Noa Muzzafi, Founder-Director, InnoA (Innovation Asia) Ventures, ‘When you are growing food, you are growing life which women do very well. So, they are not only planting a seed but also growing it’.
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