The challenge
It is estimated that agricultural food production will need to increase by as much as 40% by 2050 to feed the growing global population. At the same time, land, river and ocean resources are under pressure from overuse and poor management, thus creating a double challenge: how do we boost production while protecting the environment? The solution may be to engage with women and enhance their role in agriculture.The potential of women in agriculture is often underestimated. In Africa, only 5% of extension services are available to women. If women had the same access to resources—water, land and more—as men, farm yields could increase 20–30% and hunger could be reduced by 12–17% in developing countries.Ensuring that women have equal access and opportunity to participate in agricultural development will be essential to strengthening agricultural production and improving natural resource management.
About our work
The Gender, Poverty and Institutions cross-cutting theme works to ensure that women have greater access to, decision-making power over and increased benefits from natural resources and agriculture. The theme works with the hypothesis that women are better stewards of the environment, and it aims to develop options for investing in the management of natural resources by women. Improved understanding of how poverty and institutions are currently excluding women from agricultural development will guide the theme’s proposed solutions.The theme seeks to achieve impact through three different strategies: ensuring WLE research responds to the needs and demands of women, supporting strategic gender research and building partnerships that promote research on gender equity in agriculture and natural resource management at the regional level. Identifying relevant partners and advocating effectively are considered essential engagement strategies.Accomplishing greater equity in natural resources management and agriculture is a central prerequisite to achieving WLE’s vision of sustainable agricultural intensification.