On Thursday, March 14th, IFPRI launched its 2012 Global Food Policy Report, entitled Walk the Talk. The report explores the world food situation in 2012; highlights several key issues, including youth employment in agriculture and a green economy; and looks ahead to scenarios in the future of food.
Chapter 4 in the report, entitled “Closing the Gender Gap” focuses on women in agriculture. It points to the growing attention th
at was given to gender in 2012, particularly through the FAO’s State of Food and Agriculture Report 2010-2011, and the World Bank’s Development Report 2012. It also highlights the Gender, Agriculture and Assets Project as a key example of a project that explicitly pays more attention to gender differences in rights, resources and responsibilities as a way to achieve development objectives. It mentions several of the GAAP portfolio projects, including Land O'Lakes, Landesa, BRAC, CARE, HKI and HarvestPlus. To read the full chapter, click here.
Research and development programming is thus moving from gender-blind to gender-aware, though more needs to be done. In particular, a more solid evidence base on gender in agriculture needs to be built (in particular through more detailed, robust, and longer-term analyses of both quantitative and qualitative gender data); women’s control over assets needs to be strengthened (including natural resources, tools and technologies, and financial, human and social capital); and partnerships with women’s organizations need to be formed (though enlisting men’s support is crucial). A commitment to gender-responsive and gender-transformative agriculture can improve agricultural productivity, food security, and nutrition and thus cannot be ignored.
The event page for the launch event can be found here: http://www.ifpri.org/event/launch-ifpri-s-2012-global-food-policy-report