Vancouver, Wash. – Maul Foster & Alongi, Inc. (MFA), a leading Pacific Northwest multidisciplinary firm, is excited to announce the acquisition of Peak Sustainability Group, a respected Bellingham, Washington-based firm specializing in climate change and sustainability services. The acquisition of Peak reflects MFA’s ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable business practices. This partnership enables MFA…
Increase resources available to women farmers
Increase resources available to women farmers
When agricultural plots produce well, there is less pressure to deforest the area. Sustainable intensification practices can increase smallholder yields, which reduces the demand to clear additional land.
However, there is a gender gap in agriculture in low-income countries between the resources and rights available to men who work the land and those available to women who do the same. On average, women makeup 43 percent of the agricultural labor force but they produce 60 to 80 percent of food crops in poorer parts of the world. Often unpaid or low-paid as laborers, women cultivate field and tree crops, tend livestock, and grow home gardens. However, they have less access to a range of resources – from land rights and credit to education and technology. Even though they farm as capably and efficiently as men, inequality in assets, inputs, and support means women produce less on the same amount of land. Closing this gender gap can improve the lives of women, their families, and communities while addressing global warming. If all women smallholders receive equal access to productive resources, their farm yields will rise by 20 to 30 percent; 100 to 150 million people will no longer be hungry.
