Did you know that women make up 43 percent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries? Did you know that because they are women, their access to resources and opportunities is limited?

By any indicator of human development, female power and resources are lowest in rural areas of the developing world. Rural women make up the majority of the world's poor. They have the world's lowest levels of schooling and the highest rates of illiteracy. In all developing regions, female-headed rural households are among the poorest of the poor.

Numerous studies underscore the social costs of rural women's lack of education and assets, linking it directly to high rates of undernutrition, infant mortality and - in some countries - HIV/AIDS infection. There are also high economic costs: wasted human capital and low labour productivity that stifle rural development and progress in agriculture, and ultimately threaten food security - both for women and men

The world cannot eliminate hunger without closing the gap between men and women in agriculture. With equal access to productive resources and services, such as land, water and credit, women farmers can produce 20 to 30 percent more food, enough to lift 150 million people out of hunger.

If you are interested in how this could be done, take your time to read this report and understand why we need to ensure that women’s voices are heard as equal partners.