Approximately 58 million women live in the rural areas of Latin America and the Caribbean and are responsible for 80% of all food production. However, their work is underreported and a mere 10% have access to credit and only 5% to technical assistance programs.
Within the framework of the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit inaugurated this Monday in Rome, the I Forum of Ministers and Vice Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas was formally established as an entity whose mission is to improve public policies and spotlight the role of women in rural development, favoring the full recognition of their rights.
The inauguration, which was attended by the female ministers, secretaries and deputy ministers of 12 countries of the Americas, was a key step to institutionalizing a space to propose specific policies to promote the sustainable development of agrifood systems through recognizing the crucial contribution of the continent’s rural women to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.