The new FAO report provides a comprehensive picture of the status of women not only in agriculture, but across agrifood systems. It presents extensive data and lessons learned about gender in agrifood systems, with particular focus on how women participate in and benefit from socio-economic opportunities. Furthermore, it demonstrates how shocks in agrifood systems, such as COVID-19, have a differential impact on men, boys, women and girls and their coping strategies. 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. It also provides policy-oriented insights and makes specific recommendations on the best way forward.

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 Better Life.

The percentage of men who have ownership or secure tenure rights over agricultural land is twice that of women in more than 40 percent of the countries that have reported on women’s landownership (Sustainable Development Goal
Indicator 5.a.1), and a larger percentage of men than women have such rights in 40 of 46 countries reporting. Even so, the share of women among landowners increased in 10 of 18 countries over the last decade, with marked
improvements in several countries in subSaharan Africa and southern Asia.
In many countries there still is much to do to ensure that women own land in equal proportion to men and that legal
frameworks protect their rights. Men have greater ownership or secure tenure rights over agricultural land than do women in 40 of 46 countries with available data, and protections for women’s land rights in the law are low in 50 percent of countries reporting on Sustainable Development Goal Indicator 5.a.2.