Globally, women are instrumental in ensuring national food security, as well in the future of sustainable agriculture. Protecting women’s rights in agricultural settings—specifically related to land ownership and rights—is key to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5.a.1: “Secure and equal ownership rights over agricultural land”.

Women make up a growing proportion of the agricultural labour force—around 43% globally. Yet, they make up a disproportionately large number of unpaid and low-paid seasonal or part-time workers.

They thus receive less support from social protection systems that help vulnerable communities deal with the effects of crises.

Involving women and girls in agriculture is vital to foster environmental resilience, food security, and sustainable development. This International Women’s Day, we want to focus on the global effort to empower women, economically, socially, and politically, to build an equal world, free from cultural biases and stereotypes.

In this article, we’ll look at the position of women in agriculture, as well as the barriers they face and the impact on sustainability and food security if gender equality is not addressed.

The importance of women in agriculture

Women’s contribution to agriculture has long been overlooked. Despite evidence of them having a role in growing and harvesting food since the agricultural revolution, their importance has been diminished throughout much of human history.

Thus, there is little data on their contribution to agricultural output historically. Present-day statistics, however, show that farming jobs are increasingly occupied by women. In the US, 36% of producers are female. This value is 63% in sub-Saharan Africa. Over two-thirds of economically active women in South Asia work agricultural jobs.

Women are responsible for 60%–80% of food production in developing countries, and half of food produced globally. Despite this, they only account for 10%–20% of landowners in developing nations, further emphasising the importance of SDG 5.a.1.:

“(a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure.”

They also face many cultural and legal barriers making their employment less stable. And, they are frequently paid less than their male counterparts.

What are the barriers women face in agriculture?

There are many disparities between men and women in farming. Farms ran by women report, on average, 20%–30% lower yields than those ran by men, despite having the same capabilities. Here, we’ll look at three of the main reasons for this disparity.

Land ownership and financing

Land ownership is a critical aspect of agriculture. Legal ownership offers an array of benefits to farmers, such as:

• Better access to economic resources from banks, thus allowing farmers to secure loans for investment and development (for machinery, livestock, crops, etc.).
• The capacity to make decisions about their land without interference, thus allowing land use to be optimised and profits to be maximised.
• Improved social and political standing, granting them the power to be involved in decision-making processes at the local level.

Women are often subjected to discriminatory laws and obstacles that exclude them from land ownership. Worldwide, only 15% of landholders are women. Those that do own land are less likely to have documentation proving ownership in their names. As a result, their tenure is often unstable.

Many societies only allow men to inherit land; in situations where there are no male successors, land may be sold, and women may find themselves taking on subordinate roles or facing eviction from family land they have worked their whole lives on.

Cultural attitudes may also present more problems, with women being susceptible to intimidation, sexual harassment, and even violence from others in the agricultural sector.

Gender roles and cultural norms

Female agricultural workers are also largely disadvantaged by prevailing social attitudes and values. There are, for example, harmful beliefs about the types of jobs women are capable of in farmwork compared to men. They are also expected to still carry out other domestic duties along with their professional work—responsibilities that aren’t quantified or accounted for in much of the data.

In many societies, women are expected to provide unpaid care for children and the elderly. They are expected to cook and clean, in spite of also working demanding agricultural jobs. Thus, due to time constraints, it is harder for them to achieve the same agricultural output as male farmers.

An article published in MDPI’s Proceedings, presented at the 17th International Conference of the Hellenic Association of Agricultural Economists, also found that societal prejudices impact their confidence to make economic decisions in the context of the Greek population. This further prevents them from engaging with agricultural cooperatives. The authors infer the negative impact gender biases have on women’s participation in such schemes. Those that did participate in cooperatives reported a higher sense of economic and social security.

They are also frequently excluded from leadership roles due to deeply ingrained gender stereotypes, as well as difficulties with regard to land ownership and disparities in education. As a result, they are often underrepresented in agricultural organisations, and thus their interests and needs are overlooked.

Technology and education

Access to and the ability to operate farming technology is highly important in agriculture. It improves productivity and output, and allows farmers to expand their businesses.

Women have been found to be just as likely as men to implement new technologies when they are enabled to do so. However, female agricultural workers are less able to embrace and implement technology. This is in part due to their limited access to loans and financial support. Another big factor is their lack of training and education.

MDPI research has also shown that, among Chinese farmers, women were less aware of their economic rights due to factors such as policy propaganda and education.

Low literacy rates have been reported for women in low-income countries. They are not given the same access to education as men. In 2020, only 53% of women in these countries were literate, compared to 69% of men. Additionally, only 2% complete upper secondary school.

Literacy is key to many opportunities for personal development and a basic human right. It is a highly valuable component in the endeavour to empower women globally. And thus it has an impact on food security and agricultural sustainability.

How can women impact food security and agricultural sustainability?

Globally, our food production systems are under immense pressure. Climate change and environmental degradation pose a serious threat to agricultural output. With increased strain due to population growth, we could see a 20% rise in hunger and malnutrition by 2050.

Addressing the above issues—land ownership, gender biases, agricultural policies and governance, and educational disparities—could significantly improve future outcomes related to agricultural practices. Removing the barriers to women’s success could increase agricultural output by 4%. As a result, the number of malnourished people could decrease by up to 17%.

In addition to producing around half of the world’s food, women take on domestic cooking responsibilities in their families and communities. Thus, they are often directly responsible for household nutrition. Improving education, literacy rates, and training, as well as ensuring economic empowerment, can increase access to food and improve nutrition outcomes in households.

Women are also responsible for maintaining many natural resources, such as forests and fisheries, and thus teaching them sustainable management practices and empowering them to make decisions related to their land can strengthen agricultural resilience and sustainability.

Through their personal development and knowledge of local ecosystems, they can help their communities deal with environmental stressors and shocks and increase the resilience of the agricultural industry as a whole.

Their perspective is invaluable and thus there should be more effort to include women in leadership positions in agriculture.

Summary

In conclusion, women are indispensable in the global pursuit of agricultural sustainability and food security. Through their empowerment, economically and educationally, we can work together to improve nutritional outcomes, food security, climate and environmental resilience, and agricultural output.

By recognising the important roles of women and girls in agriculture and meeting the aim of SDG 5.a.1., we can work towards a future in which everybody is given the resources and opportunities to drive sustainable development and transformative change worldwide. Ensuring gender equality has the potential to lay a more sustainable and resilient foundation for future generations.