Hunger will never end if we don’t close the gap between men and women in agriculture.

In many developing countries, the agricultural sector is underperforming, in part, because men and women to not have equal access to the resources and opportunities their need to be productive.

Women play a vital role in advancing food security, participating in all aspects of rural life. However, they constantly face numerous constraints that limit their contributions and productivity.

Women own less land, have limited ability to hire labor, and have impeded access to credit, extension, and other services. Women farmers cultivate smaller plots and less profitable crops than male farmers.

Women farmers constitute 43 % of the agricultural workforce, but receive only 7% of the agricultural extension services and less than 10 % of the credit offered to small-scale farmers.

Finally, over 1.1 billion female farmers don’t have access to the tools needed to fully participate in the agricultural industry. 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.

If we want to reduce poverty and end hunger, we must give women access to the resources they need for agricultural production and participation. This could:

• Increase farm yields by 20-30%

• Increase agricultural output by 4 %

• Reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 150 million

Closing the gender gap in agriculture is not only the right thing to do. It is crucial for agricultural development and food security.

Women are a central part of the solution to ending hunger and poverty.

Join us in our global effort to empower girls and  women around the world.

Sign the petition to call for the UN Secretary-General and other key decision-makers to prioritize gender equality within all future development goals.