Agricultural yields could increase by a third if female farmers had equivalent access to land , tools and finance as their male peers , according to the European Commission ’s commissioner for international cooperation and development . Speaking to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization , Neven Mimica said that boosting yields in this way would cause one million fewer people to go hungry . “If we are serious about putting an end to poverty and hunger once and for all, then we all need to step up our support for rural women,” he said. Of those experiencing chronic hunger , 60 % are female . Women and girls also constitute 45 % of the agricultural workforce . Mimica warned that the gender gap in agriculture must be closed before climate change traps rural farmers in “ a downward spiral ” .
Agricultural yields could increase by a third if female farmers had equivalent access to land , tools and finance as their male peers , according to the European Commission ’s commissioner for international cooperation and development . Speaking to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization , Neven Mimica said that boosting yields in this way would cause one million fewer people to go hungry . Of those experiencing chronic hunger , 60 % are female . Women and girls also constitute 45 % of the agricultural workforce . Mimica warned that the gender gap in agriculture must be closed before climate change traps rural farmers in “ a downward spiral ” .