FAO: Closing Gender Gap in Agrifood System Will Boost Global GDP By $1tn

Oluchi Chibuzor

A new report released by Food and AgricultureOrganisation (FAO) has stated that closing the gender gap in agrifood systems could boost global gross domestic products (GDP) of nations by nearly $1 trillion and reduce the number of food-insecure people by 45 million.
Specifically, the new report revealed that tackling gender inequalities in agrifood systems and empowering women reduces hunger, boosts the economy and reinforces resilience to shocks like climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report titled, ‘The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems Report, was the first of its kind since 2010, and goes beyond agriculture to provide a comprehensive picture of the status of women working across agrifood systems— from production to distribution and consumption.
Commenting on the socio-economic benefits of the report, the FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, stressed the need to tackle the gender inequalities endemic in agrifood systems and empower women.
According to him when this would be done, the world would take a leap forward in addressing the goals of ending poverty and creating a world free from hunger.
He said, “Efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems depend on the empowerment of all women and gender equality. Women have always worked in agrifood systems. It is time that we made agrifood systems work for women.
“Indeed, the study explains that closing the gender gap in farm productivity and the wage gap in agricultural employment would increase global gross domestic product by nearly $1 trillion and reduce the number of food-insecure people by 45 million.”
The report also indicated that when economies shrink, women’s jobs go first, stating that globally, 22 per cent of women in the ‘off-farm’ segments of agrifood systems lost their jobs in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to two per cent of men.
The study further confirmed that women were more vulnerable to climate shocks and natural disasters, as resource constraints and discriminatory gender norms can make it harder for them to adapt.
“For example, women’s work burdens, including hours worked in agriculture, tend to decline less than men’s during climate shocks such as heat stress,” the report stated.
It however acknowledged that slow progress in reducing most gender gaps had stagnated or reversed, hindering improvements in everything from nutrition to early child development; from income to access to quality jobs.
“Moreover, Inequalities in agrifood systems hold women back at all levels and in all roles. Women lack access to training, credit and to fundamental tools – including land, fertilizers and irrigation systems – that empower them and enable them to make an equal contribution. This includes closing gaps related to access to assets, technology and resources,” the report maintained.

The authors underscored that although the extent to which national policy frameworks addresses gender issues improved over the past decade, gender inequality in agrifood systems persists partly because policies, institutions and discriminatory social norms are still constraining equal opportunities and equal rights to resources.