CURRENT AFFAIRS: International Year of the Woman Farmer

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Equality in agriculture does make a difference

Around the world, women continue to face social and cultural barriers that limit their autonomy and recognition. This is a problem that persists in the agri-food sector too.

Given that women accounted for around 41% of the world’s agri-food workforce in 2021, it is disturbing to see that they are being denied equal conditions in access to land, education and finance, all of which are essential for them to expand their trade with decent working conditions.

In an increasingly disparate world, there is an urgent need to nurture a universal idea that promotes justice and fairness, especially when it comes to making progress with something that should already have been secured many years ago to support social and economic progress: gender equality.

In this International Year of the Woman Farmer, the United Nations (UN) and its Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) challenge us to recognise the indispensable role of women in maintaining agri-food systems, in strengthening rural communities and in ensuring global food security.

So it is up to all of us to echo a single message: strengthening women’s role here entails more than making nice speeches, it involves taking action to promote more inclusive public policies that not only increase fair access to resources but also empower our women farmers – in order to build a fairer, more sustainable and more balanced future, where no one is left behind.

So let’s have the clarity of thought to understand that women’s empowerment is not a threat, but rather an alliance and an opportunity that will be of benefit to each and every one of us: by supporting women farmers, we invest in a more stable, just and sustainable future, especially in regions where food insecurity remains a battle that people need to fight every day.

Together, we can – and must – make a difference. Let’s have that courage!

 

Nuno SERRA (Portugal)

Member, EESC Civil Society Organisations' Group

Secretary-General, Portuguese National Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives and Agricultural Credit (Confagri)

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