The role of women in agriculture and the household will be discussed in an upcoming conference, reports Presse Gauche in a piece on the agriculture sector and women’s roles. There has been a renewed interest in rural women and the role they play in agriculture. This is due to the renewed focus on agriculture – caused by two food crises; droughts linked to climate change, which forced people to seek new means of subsistence far from home; HIV/AIDS, which has hit the agricultural workforce, particularly in southern Africa; and the growing emphasis on nutrition and diet quality. A report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI delves into this topic. The report titled Engendering agricultural research, development, and extension speaks to the importance of rural women receiving equitable access as men in terms of credit, assistance, and agricultural inputs.
The development of home gardens should receive the same attention from policymakers as male-dominated activities, such as cash crops, says the report, which promotes a broader concept of the food sector – to include staple foods, but also fish, livestock, vegetable gardens, and the nutritional value of food and water use.