FAO: Women represent 36% of the workforce in agrifood systems in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) presented the report, "The status of women in agrifood systems: A regional approach for Latin America and the Caribbean", which analyzes women's participation in rural production, documents persistent gaps in employment, access to resources, and representation, and provides recommendations to accelerate the empowerment of rural women in the region.

This regional edition updates and deepens the analysis presented by FAO globally in 2023, with data and evidence on the participation, challenges, and contributions of rural, Indigenous, youth, and Afro-descendant women in the agrifood systems of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The report identifies persistent barriers in access to land, water, livestock ownership, financing, extension services, and technologies, and proposes transformative actions to eliminate gender inequalities in agrifood systems.

It also highlights how women's empowerment yields multiple benefits: ensuring food and nutrition security, boosting rural economies, promoting sustainable development, and enhancing societal well-being.

According to the report, women comprise 36% of the workforce in agrifood systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 71% work in non-agricultural sectors such as food processing, marketing, and sales.

A sample of 14 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean shows that more than half of the workers in food manufacturing (55%) and trade (52%) are women. However, their participation in more lucrative activities such as transportation is low (9%).

The report warns of structural inequalities shaping the lives of rural women. In Latin America and the Caribbean, more women suffer from hunger compared to men: the gender gap in moderate or severe food insecurity reached 9.1 percentage points in 2022, after widening drastically in 2021 to 11.5 percentage points, partly due to the COVID-19 crisis (FAO, 2025). Additionally, the burden of unpaid domestic and care work borne by women continues to limit their opportunities for employment and training.

The report notes that Latin America and the Caribbean is the only region in the world where women's participation in agricultural activities has increased over the last two decades. However, this progress has not translated into greater access to productive resources or representation in decision-making spaces. Women are also less likely than men to work full-time, suggesting that their work is more irregular and temporary.

"The evidence we are sharing today must serve as a key input for decision-making. We need transformative public policies that promote the economic empowerment of rural women in all their diversity, recognize their multiple roles in production, marketing, and care, and ensure their equal access to resources, services, and participation," said Maya Takagi, Regional Programme Leader for FAO in Latin America and the Caribbean at the launch of the report.

After a review, the report notes that only 26% of the agricultural policies analyzed include gender equality as an explicit objective, and less than 15% address discriminatory social norms, climate change, or climate resilience. On the other hand, an analysis of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) shows how Latin America and the Caribbean was the region with the highest integration of the gender approach, representing an opportunity to advance more inclusive policies.

Among the report's key recommendations are: promoting legal reforms to ensure joint land ownership, designing policies, programs, and investments with transformative gender approaches, and improving access to technologies, training, and financial services. The strengthening of collective action is also emphasized as a tool to expand women's bargaining power and resilience in the face of crises and shocks.