Sweden's Agriculture Minister Highlights Women's Role in Agriculture

23 November 2005 ‘Gender equality is essentially an issue of democracy,’ said Ann-Christin Nykvist, Sweden's Minister for Agriculture, Food and Consumer Affairs at a roundtable discussion on gender equality and access to productive resources organized at the 33rd session of the FAO Conference (19-26 November 2005) in Rome.

  
FAO Press Release

 ‘Gender equality is essentially an issue of democracy,’ said Ann-Christin Nykvist, Sweden's Minister for Agriculture, Food and Consumer Affairs at a roundtable discussion on gender equality and access to productive resources organized at the 33rd session of the FAO Conference (19-26 November 2005) in Rome.

Highlighting the relationship between gender equality and the reduction of hunger and poverty, Ms Nykvist said access by women to land, credit, marketing facilities, appropriate technology and other factors of production is ‘vital to their prospects of overcoming poverty.’

The Swedish minister added that if girls were given access to the same education as boys this could lead to ‘higher returns in terms of world food security.’

‘Women are at the forefront of food production in all regions of the world,’ FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said.

In sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean they produce at least 80 percent of food staples. In South- and Southeast Asia they are responsible for some 60 percent of agriculture and food production. 

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