Women's role in farming ignored: Top WFP official

The contribution of women who make up about sixty per cent of the farming labour force is often ignored, a top World Food Programme official said here today.
"Despite the fact women produce, store and prepare most of the world's food...We see their contributions often impeded, prevented or simply ignored," Executive Director, World Food Programme, Ertharin Cousin said.
She was addressing the ministerial session of the four-day conference on the role of family farming and achieving zero hunger challenge by 2025 at the MS Swaminathan Foundation here.
Stressing the need to devote attention to the social, political and economic barriers undermining the contribution of women, the WFO official said, "Women often head family farms. Even in male headed households we must recognise and value the contribution of women to the households' income and we must design programmes and delivery systems that support these women."

On WFP's role, she referred to initiatives like "Purchase for Progress" linking farmers to markets and helping them to move beyond subsistence farming.
Family farming, hunger and nutrition in Asia Pacific region and reaching out to family farmers were among the other issues that she dealt with in her address.
"Women and young people lie at the centre of farming, food security and nutrition. Achieving zero hunger and improving family farming requires us to fully recognise the critical role of women and empower women and youth," she said in her concluding remarks.