FAO Highlights Gender Gaps in Latin America's Agri-Food Systems

FAO has released a new report examining the role of women in agri-food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, identifying persistent gender inequalities and calling for transformative public policies to support rural women's empowerment.

The report, The Status of Women in Agri-Food Systems: A Regional Focus for Latin America and the Caribbean, builds on FAO’s 2023 global analysis and provides updated data and evidence specific to the region. It focuses on the participation of rural, Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and young women in agriculture and related sectors.

Women make up 36% of the agri-food labor force in the region, according to the report. Of them, 71% work in non-agricultural areas such as food processing, marketing and sales. Data from 14 countries show that women represent 55% of the food manufacturing workforce and 52% of workers in commerce. However, they are underrepresented in higher-income segments like transport, where they comprise just 9%.

FAO found that women face longstanding barriers in access to land, water, livestock ownership, financing, extension services, and technology. These structural inequalities are further compounded by food insecurity. In 2022, the gender gap in moderate or severe food insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean stood at 9.1%, a slight decrease from 11.5% in 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic widened disparities.

While the region is the only one globally to have seen an increase in women’s participation in agricultural activities over the last two decades, this shift has not translated into greater access to productive resources or decision-making roles. Women are also less likely than men to work full-time, suggesting more precarious employment conditions.

Maya Takagi, Regional Program Leader for Latin America and the Caribbean, FAO, said the findings should inform policy action. “We need transformative public policies that promote the economic empowerment of rural women in all their diversity, recognize their multiple roles in production, trade and care, and ensure equal access to resources, services and participation,” she said during the report’s launch.

Only 26% of the agricultural policies reviewed in the report explicitly include gender equality as a goal, and less than 15% address discriminatory social norms, climate change or climate resilience. In contrast, the analysis of the region’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) showed the highest level of gender integration globally, signaling potential for more inclusive climate-related policymaking.

Key recommendations include legal reforms to ensure joint land ownership, gender-transformative approaches in policy and investment design, improved access to financial services and technology, and stronger support for collective action to enhance women’s resilience and bargaining power.

FAO emphasized that empowering women in agri-food systems can contribute to improved food security, rural economic growth and broader social well-being