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Access to essential technology can transform entire economies when women farmers gain it. However, millions of women in agriculture lack basic resources that limit their potential and hinder progress in food security.
This was the main focus of the recent World Food Prize side event, “Ensuring Access to Technology for Women in Agriculture.” On Oct. 30, a panel of experts discussed how to eliminate barriers to technology and create new opportunities for women in farming.
The U.S. Department of State Office of Agricultural Policy organized the event. Dina Esposito, assistant to the administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security and Feed the Future deputy coordinator for development, moderated the panel.
The panel featured Raja Rajeswari Meka, a women and youth enterprise development specialist from the Feed the Future Insect-Resistant Eggplant Partnership. The partnership is based in Cornell’s School of Integrative Plant Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
“Limited access to biotechnology in Bangladesh stifles prosperity and hinders food security by restricting farmers’ ability to adopt high-yield, pest-resistant crops,” stated Meka. According to Meka, providing women with technology, such as pest-resistant Bt eggplant, can help to increase yields, reduce costs, and improve their quality of life.
Read the full story at the Feed the Future Insect-Resistant Eggplant Partnership website.
