Social & Gender Equity and Rice Agri-Food Systems Transformation: Catalysing the Symbiotic Relationship
Photo: IRRI
Women have key roles on the front line in food systems including in times of crisis and their engagement is vital to overcoming global threats and achieving shared global goals including food and nutrition security and prosperity for all and leaving no one behind. This was the key message in the plenary by Dr. Ranjitha Puskur titled “Social and Gender Equity and Rice Agri-Food Systems Transformation: Catalysing the Symbiotic Relationship”, delivered on the final day of 6th International Rice Congress (IRC 2023).
One of the biggest challenges for the agricultural community today is providing nine billion people across continents with food amidst climate change, political conflicts, and unforeseen events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Globally, climate change has resulted in land degradation directly affecting 74% of the poor. Almost 12 million hectares of agricultural land are lost through drought and desertification each year where 20 million tons of grain could have been grown. 60 million people were added to the ranks of the hungry during 2014-19 and the COVID-19 pandemic added another 83 to 132 million undernourished people. 60% of the malnourished are women.