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UN / WOMEN AGRIFOOD SYSTEMS
STORY: UN / WOMEN AGRIFOOD SYSTEMS
TRT: 2:40
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 13 APRIL 2023, NEW YORK CITY / RECENT
RECENT - NEW YORK CITY
1.Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
13 APRIL 2023, NEW YORK CITY
2.Wide shot, press briefing room
3.SOUNDBITE (English) Máximo Torero, Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
“So this report provides a comprehensive view of the status of women in agrifood systems. It highlights how different segments of agrifood systems are conditioned by structural inequalities linked to gender. It places gender equality and women's empowerment as an objective in and of itself. And that means to improve brother welfare in the agrifood systems and it reflects the evolution from a focus on gender gaps to promoting their gender transformation.”
4.Wide shot, press briefing room
5.SOUNDBITE (English) Máximo Torero, Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
“The first one is look to the fact that agrifood systems are a major employer for women and men, 36 percent of working woman are employed by the system and 38 percent of men, 66 percent of working woman in Sub Sahara Africa, 71 percent of working woman in South Asia are employed in agrifood systems.”
6.Wide shot, press briefing room
7.SOUNDBITE (English) Máximo Torero, Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
“Second woman working conditions in the agrifood systems are not equal. And they are irregular, informal, part-time, lower skilled, labor intensive and in vulnerable positions. In both agricultural and no-farm agricultural food systems, women are more likely than men to be vulnerable forms of self-employment. And in many cases, they are affected by shocks, like for example, what we observe in the case of COVID-19.”
8.Wide shot, press briefing room
9.SOUNDBITE (English) Máximo Torero, Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
“Also women access to assets and resources are lagging behind men and these include land, input, services, finance and digital technology. It's important to mention that the report shows that there has been an improvement in finance and digital technologies. But on the other sectors we have not seen that improvement. Men have greater ownership of land and woman 46 countries show that. Protection of woman land rights are low in 50 precent of the countries, and gender gaps in woman access to mobile internet in low- and middle-income countries narrow from 35 percent to 16 percent.”
10. Wide shot, press briefing room
11.SOUNDBITE (English) Máximo Torero, Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
“The fifth point is on the vulnerability of the jobs. During COVID-19, 22 percent of women lost their jobs in a farm, agricultural food systems in the first year of COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 2 percent of men, so 22 percent compare to 2 percent of men. And the gap between women and men's food insecurity widened from 1.9 to 4.3 percentage points between 2019 and 2021.”
12. Wide shot, press briefing room
A new Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report provides a comprehensive picture of the status of women not only in agriculture, but across agrifood systems, providing extensive data about gender in agrifood systems, with particular focus on how women participate in and benefit from socio-economic opportunities.
Speaking to reporters today (13 Apr) via a video link, FAO’s Chief Economist said, the report highlights how different segments of agrifood systems are conditioned by structural inequalities linked to gender, adding that “It places gender equality and women's empowerment as an objective in and of itself. And that means to improve brother welfare in the agrifood systems and it reflects the evolution from a focus on gender gaps to promoting their gender transformation.”
Torero said that the report looks at six major aspects, “the first one is look to the fact that agrifood systems are a major employer for women and men.
He explained, “36 percent of working woman are employed by the system and 38 percent of men, 66 percent of working woman in Sub Sahara Africa, 71 percent of working woman in South Asia are employed in agrifood systems.”
The FAO Chief Economist continued, that the second point is “woman working conditions in the agrifood systems are not equal.”
He explained, “they are irregular, informal, part-time, lower skilled, labor intensive and in vulnerable positions,” adding that “in both agricultural and no-farm agricultural food systems, women are more likely than men to be vulnerable forms of self-employment. And in many cases, they are affected by shocks, like for example, what we observe in the case of COVID-19.”
Third, “women access to assets and resources are lagging behind men and these include land, input, services, finance and digital technology,” Torero said.
He continued, “It's important to mention that the report shows that there has been an improvement in finance and digital technologies. But on the other sectors we have not seen that improvement. Men have greater ownership of land and woman 46 countries show that. Protection of woman land rights are low in 50 precent of the countries, and gender gaps in woman access to mobile internet in low- and middle-income countries narrow from 35 percent to 16 percent.”
Forth, discriminatory social norms and rules affecting women and girls are at the heart of gender inequality and are slow to change.
The fifth point is on the vulnerability of the jobs, Torero said.
He explained, “During COVID-19, 22 percent of women lost their jobs in a farm, agricultural food systems in the first year of COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 2 percent of men, so 22 percent compare to 2 percent of men. And the gap between women and men's food insecurity widened from 1.9 to 4.3 percentage points between 2019 and 2021.”
The Chief Economist also said that Women’s empowerment is also key to economic and social outcomes.
Overall, women’s participation in agrifood systems is changing and is now more complex than ever before. The report shows how gender equality and women’s empowerment are central to the transition towards sustainable, productive and resilient agrifood systems and how the transformation of agrifood systems can contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
With the launch of the report, FAO makes a commitment to do even more to mainstream gender considerations in our efforts to achieve better production, better nutrition, better environment and a better life.
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