This Wednesday, Planet Forward will host its November salon, “Women and Girls: Nourishing the Planet in the Face of Climate Change,” at The George Washington University. The salon will explore the role of women in agriculture. Women make up 43 percent of the agricultural labor force but have limited access to resources, land, technology, and decision-making. The conversation will include experts, students, and decision makers to address why women are disproportionately affected by climate change and “will investigate policies, practices and tools that improve access and education, address social and economic barriers, and empower women and girls.”
According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), closing the gender gap in agriculture, providing women with the same access to resources as men, could lift 150 million people out of hunger and raise total agricultural output in developing countries by four percent. In addition, crop yields on women’s farms could increase by 30 percent and the number of people in the world who face hunger could reduce by up to 17 percent.
The role of women in feeding the planet will be investigated through the Salon’s four key questions:
1. “How does climate change and weather volatility affect women disproportionately in developing countries?”
2. “What are some of the adaptation and mitigation technologies that most improve the lives of women and the poor?”
3. “How can we empower and invest in women and girls to create opportunities that improve livelihoods and buffer the impact of climate change?”
4. “How can we better communicate these challenges and opportunities with government, private sector and the public?”
To learn more about women’s role in feeding the world and how to mitigate the effects of climate change and the gender gap in agriculture, follow the Planet Forward live tweet of the salon on Wednesday at 9am Eastern Standard Time.
