To achieve food security, we must prioritize women's rights as human rights

Published in the Huffington Post on 2 September, this article, written by the former President of Finland, argues that the challenges in fighting hunger are immense, but placing women at the center of efforts can be the game-changer to achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. Women comprise the majority of food producers, particularly in low-income countries where families rely on smallholder farms for food and income. Farmers use hand-held tools to fetch water for irrigation on foot, chop wood for fuel, and mill cereal crops by hand. The sheer amount of human labor involved in this kind of farming is daunting. And as women do much of this work, in addition to their household and care work, their workdays are typically up to 50% longer than men's. And yet women and girls tend to receive a smaller portion of the food produced. Improving efficiencies and providing agricultural technology to women smallholder farmers is a key step, but not enough. Broader action is needed. Women's rights to own, inherit and control land must be legally protected. To meet food security goals, global and national decision makers must also prioritize women's health and education.