46International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Increasingly,
the IRRI has been looking at the gendered impact of
agricultural technology (linked to producing climate-smart
rice) on female and male farmers in the region. This is a
positive sign that leaves much hope for women farmers to
increase their knowledge on rice production in light of
climate change's impact on food security.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), we need to increase our food production
by around 60 percent from recorded 2007 levels if we are to
feed the 9 billion people estimated to inhabit the planet
by 2050. And, as Gurung explains with optimism, “giving
women the same access as men to agricultural resources
could increase production on farms in developing countries
by 20 to 30 percent.”
In Southeast Asia, although there has been development
in rural areas, much remains to be done, especially in terms
of setting up sustainable climate-smart agricultural policies
involving both men and women. Whichever measures are
taken, they will not only have to positively impact female
food producers and the region’s food security, but they will
Women have a significant role
in feeding the world’s projected
nine billion by 2050IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK