Women in agriculture: Four myths
Date Issued
Date Online
Language
Type
Review Status
Access Rights
Metadata
Full item pageCitation
Doss, Cheryl; Meinzen-Dick, Ruth Suseela; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; and Theis, Sophie. 2018. Women in agriculture: Four myths. Global Food Security 16(March 2018): 69-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2017.10.001
Permanent link to cite or share this item
External link to download this item
Abstract/Description
Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG) on gender equality and women’s rights and at least 11 of the 17 SDGs require indicators related to gender dynamics. Despite the need for reliable indicators, stylized facts on women, agriculture, and the environment persist. This paper analyzes four gender myths: 1) 70% of the world’s poor are women; 2) Women produce 60 to 80% of the world’s food; 3) Women own 1% of the world’s land; and 4) Women are better stewards of the environment. After reviewing the conceptual and empirical literature, the paper presents the kernel of truth underlying each myth, questions its underlying assumptions and implications, and examines how it hinders us from developing effective food security policies.
Author ORCID identifiers
Agnes Quisumbing https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5429-1857
Sophie Theis https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4277-7080