Gender Equality and Food Security

Food security entails people having access to sufficient and nutritious food. Gender equality is about the balance between what men and women can do. So how do these two go hand- in- hand?

According to the Website of gender equality division,gender equality is achieved when women and men enjoy the same rights across all sectors of society, including economic participation and decision making and when the different behaviors including aspirations and needs of women and men are equally valued and favored.

Addressing gender equality is one of the key aspects to achieving food security and therefore zero hunger.  According to the United Nations (U.N) Goal number two of the sustainable development goals is zero hunger which is aimed at achieving food security and improved nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture.

Gender equality and food security therefore  is about closing the gap in agriculture between women and men. To achieve zero hunger, women need to be included in the fight. Some countries do not allow women to own land, women have no access to credit and inputs like men do. According to the U.N,   if women farmers had the same access to resources as men, the number of hungry in the world could be reduced by up to 150 million.

Men and women in developing countries do not have the same access to resources and opportunities which is a hindrance to development. According to the Global citizen over 1.1 billion female farmers don’t have access to the tools needed to fully participate in the agricultural industry.  

The Global citizen states that  Increasing women’s access to land, livestock, education, financial services, legal rights, technology and rural employment would boost their productivity and generate gains in agricultural output, food security, economic growth and social welfare.

By giving women the same opportunities as men in the agricultural sector, there is a greater chance of reducing poverty and achieving zero hunger.

According to Reliefweb, around 60% of undernourished people are women and girl, data shows that giving them access to education and employment opportunities will have a huge impact on reducing hunger and improving child health and education. Restrictions on female land ownership, limited access to credit and a lack of education will slow down women’s ability to produce and access more food and earn decent incomes.