Women are the major producers of food crops in Africa, because culturally it is their role to feed the family. More than half of Africa's farmers are women, with most tending crops on plots of land they don't own. World food production experts believe that granting land rights to women and increasing their access to production technologies could increase yields on small farms, which feed the bulk of the population, by 20 to 30 percent. With the world's population predicted to grow from today's seven billion people to nine billion by 2050, and 49 percent of that growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, "The fate of the small land holder could effectively determine the world's long-term food security." The key to stave off famine, of course, would be to empower women farmers, since they are the primary food producers.
For the full story about the recent proceedings at World Food Prize meetings in Des Moines, Iowa, click on the link below:
Impact of empowering women farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa
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