"Almost half of the world's agricultural workers are women and women farmers produce up to 80% of the food grown in LMICs. Despite their large contribution to agricultural labor, fewer than 20% of landowners globally are women," writes The Lancet Planetary Health in an editorial featuring a new article co-authored by IFPRI's Lilia Bliznashka, Aulo Gelli, and Jessica Heckert. "Gender discrimination around access to land, to loans, machinery, equal pay, and commitments to under-recognized domestic labor, limit women's agency and potential agricultural productivity, and create greater exposure to climate risks. However, when women smallholders have the decision-making power, they might choose less intensive and more diverse farming strategies that prioritize household or community nutrition, income and resource stability, and spreading the risk of harvest failures.
"This idea is supported in a research article from Lilia Bliznashka and colleagues, who find that in rural households in Burkina Faso, India, Malawi, and Tanzania, when women have greater input into decision making, a greater amount and range of foods and more nutritious foods are grown."
