Foresight Project on Global Food and Farming Futures: Science review SR: 48: Gender in the food system

This report highlights the need for institutional changes that would benefit women within food systems globally, as consumers, producers, entrepreneurs and workers.  The report identifies three emergent trends to be addressed in order for agricultural development projects to successfully promote gender equality, and reduce poverty and hunger. It sets out short and longer term agendas prioritising urgent actions and setting out future considerations and recommendations, looking forward to 2050.

The three emergent trends identified in the report which need prioritisation:

• The feminisation of food production in rural areas – globally small-scale farming is becoming dominated by women as a result of high numbers of men migrating for work. A positive result, for example, is that women's knowledge of local crop varieties in becoming increasingly valued in national plant breeding programmes. However increased workloads and responsibilities leave women with little time to develop agricultural productivity or engage with projects. Also competition for good quality land with access to water often means women lose out due to weak land rights.
• The global trend towards urbanisation has meant that food security for many now depends on wages as there is little space and time for people to grow their own food in cities. As a result women spend less time producing and processing food, providing more time and opportunities for domestic, community, education or paid work activities. However women often have less stable incomes, as they are 'quickly hired, quickly fired' in response to economic circumstances. Also the quality of food stuffs available to poor urban dwellers needs to be considered.
• Women's empowerment is essential but contexts need to be analysed to understand specific pathways of empowerment.

The report concludes by outlining possible scenarios for good outcomes by 2050, these include:

• Fair-trade has become the universal standard for trade
• Women are an informed and strong voice in consumer organisations
• Food economies are local
• Forceful policy-led stimulus to development of wind power and solar power energy grids for the benefit of rural farmers
• Female enrolment in science and technology training and education has almost reached parity with male enrolment.