The status of women in agrifood systems

Declines in women's employment in agrifood systems are evident in most regions, and few women are involved in the more profitable activities across various value chains, according to a new report.

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Globally, the share of both working men and women in agrifood systems declined by almost 10 percentage points between 2005 and 2019. In 2019, 36% of working women globally were employed in agrifood systems, down from 44% in 2005, while 38% of working men were employed in agrifood systems, down from 47%. This reduction was driven by declining employment in primary agricultural production; the share of those working in off-farm segments of agrifood systems remained the same.

Declines of women’s employment in agrifood systems are evident in all regions apart from Southern Asia, where it has remained stable. The regional trends in Southern Asia are dominated by India, where female participation in the labour force is low, but labour-force participation is relatively high among the poorest women, who depend on agriculture. Agrifood systems remain the main employer for women and men in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, but they are a far more important source of livelihood for women than for men. In subSaharan Africa, 66% of women’s employment is in agrifood systems, compared with 60% of men’s employment. In Southern Asia, 71% of women workers are engaged in agrifood systems, compared with 47% of men workers.

Women comprised 38% of all agricultural workers in crop, livestock, fisheries and forestry production around the world in 2019, a decrease of only 1% from 2000. Women do not constitute the majority of agricultural workers globally, nor is their share in agriculture increasing in most regions, pointing to little evidence of “feminisation of agriculture” at the global or regional level.

Gendered patterns of participation in and returns from off-farm agrifood-system activities vary and depend on the type of value chain, local institutions and job characteristics.