NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Women account for nearly half of all agricultural labor in developing countries and work as much as 13 hours more per week than men, often without training, proper tools, like seeds and fertilizers, and rights to their land. Research shows that if female farmers had the same access to resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by 20–30 percent, potentially reducing the number of hungry people in the world by up to 150 million.

To meet the nutrition needs of a growing global population, CARE has launched She Feeds the World, the largest food and nutrition security program in its 70-year history, benefitting 50 million female farmers and their families in the developing world. As the largest private sector donor, The PepsiCo Foundation’s investment will help women access the resources they need to increase their production including land rights, financing, and agricultural inputs such as seeds; access new markets for their products; and develop the skills and techniques to build resilient and sustainable farms. The grant will support women farmers in significant food producing countries and where PepsiCo and CARE work: Egypt, Guatemala, India, Nigeria, Peru and Uganda.

“As a business rooted in agriculture, PepsiCo recognizes the power of agriculture to lift people out of poverty and feed families,” said Ramon Laguarta, PepsiCo Chairman and CEO and The PepsiCo Foundation Chairman. “She Feeds the World will help millions of smallhold women farmers get the resources and training they need to increase their crop yields, access markets and gain more reliable sources of income. The PepsiCo Foundation is investing in this initiative because it has the potential to create change at scale, increasing food security and enhancing the livelihoods of 50 million women farmers and their families.”

“We are thrilled to partner with The PepsiCo Foundation, which shares our belief that women farmers possess enormous potential to substantially improve family nutrition and reduce hunger. Grounded in 70 years of experience developing impactful and proven models, CARE’s She Feeds the World is a bold approach that aims to scale what works,” said Michelle Nunn, CARE’s President and CEO. “We know that we cannot do this work without engaging forward-thinking private sector partners, like The PepsiCo Foundation, to catalyze systemic and lasting change.”

PepsiCo and CARE are also launching a global campaign called “Closing the Crop Gap” to give women a platform to tell their own stories about the challenges they face in agriculture. This campaign spotlights five women farmers in India, Egypt, Guatemala, Poland and the United States with short-form videos created by female videographers from the same regions as the farmers whose stories they are sharing. Members of the public will be invited to vote for their favorite video, and in exchange, receive a credit for a kiva.org microloan that can be used to benefit other female entrepreneurs. The videographer who receives the most votes will be invited to create an extended, three-part docuseries that explores the experiences of women in agriculture. Voting begins on March 7 and more information can be found at closingthecropgap.com.

Photo courtesy of pixelfusion3d.