Sustainable Food Monitor

As part of the “Highlighting the Way Forward” series of side events at the Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting for the UN Commission on Sustainable Development meeting in New York next week, the need to invest in and support women farmers will be one of the key messages to policymakers. This side event is convened by Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resources Management (WOCAN), Heifer International and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). See the full range of recommendations and websites of organizing groups championing women farmers.

HIGHLIGHTING THE WAY FORWARD

PUTTING WOMEN FARMERS AT THE CENTER
OF AGRICULTURAL and RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Investing in and Supporting Women Farmers is Essential for Success!!!

Recognize women as the driving force for rural development. Women farmers are main food producers in developing countries and yet they are one of the most vulnerable groups. Their economic empowerment to produce more and to participate in policy formulation is critical to addressing poverty and food insecurity.

The face of the farmer and natural resource manager is primarily female in most of the developing world. Knowledge, technology, policies, institutions and programmes must therefore be developed by putting women at the centre to orient structures and processes to address their needs as food producers and environmental managers through gender mainstreaming and investing in women and girls to bridge the existing gender gaps. The prevailing misunderstanding and neglect of this fact has contributed to a significant loss of opportunities and investments in women farmers and thus has had major consequences for food security and poverty alleviation. Rather than being regarded as a vulnerable group, women’s knowledge, experience and substantial roles make them experts in agriculture and natural resource management; they are key agents in the way forward for sustainable development.

Agriculture institutions, structures and programmes require urgent transformation. This  demands developing conditions that will enable women farmers and the women and men professionals in agriculture and other sectors who support women farmers’ efforts to be in the forefront and centre of the reorientation structures and processes at all levels, recognizing women’s role as primary food producers and environmental managers.

A call for a partnership that links women agricultural leaders and women farmers is a necessary condition to build the needed facilitated networking and collaboration among women leaders and professionals to create strong voice for women farmers.  Support the existing Network of Women Agriculture Ministers and Leaders to facilitate implementation of programmes for women farmers, and develop supportive mechanisms including investment in action research on climate change adaptation and mitigation practices, reorienting agricultural technology development and adoption to meet the needs of women farmers, increasing the number of women trained as agricultural extensionists, and enhanced training and capacity building for women farmers and the organizations that work at grassroots level to support them.

Contacts of side event organizers at IPM:  Tuesday, February 24 1:15-2:45 Conference Room C

Jeannette Gurung, Jing de la Rosa, WOCAN

Martha Hirpa: Heifer International

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

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