CLOSING THE GENDER GAP IN AGRICULTURE

The 2020 International Women’s Day commemorations brought into focus a concerning fact – that 25 years after the World Conference on Women, “No country  has reached the ‘last mile’ on gender equality,” as blatantly noted in the 2019 Global Index.

The 2020 Global Gender Gap report adds a more dismal fact - that it will take 99.5 years for the world to achieve the gender parity it wishes to see and that’s only if countries start making necessary changes now.

Inability to meet gender equality goals entails that progress in spheres where women are key such as improving food and nutrition security, is also being stalled because women are not being given sufficient access to the tools

ACHIEVING ZERO HUNGER IN ZAMBIA

A small scale farmer displays some of her produce during the 2019 World Food Day commemorations held in Mwembeshi

“It’s not just about getting enough to eat, it’s about having the right food to eat.” These words were part of a speech by the UNICEF Zambia Country representative, Noalar Skinner, during the recent World Food Day commemorations that were held in Mwembeshi.

The 2019 theme – Our Actions are Our Future, Healthy Diets for a Zero Hunger World - intended to bring awareness on the continued strides needed towards realizing the Zero Hunger Vision that was launched by the United Nations in 2012.

World Food day is a day of action against hunger. Hunger manifests itself in different ways namely: undernourishment, malnutrition and wasting. The 2018 report by the African Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition reveals that 257 million people in Africa are undernourished. Put differently, 257 million people in Africa are hungry and furthermore,