UN: Empowering women crucial to fighting hunger

(March 07, 2011) A United Nations food agency says that giving women better access to land, technology and other agricultural resources could reduce the number of hungry people by up to 150 million. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a report released on Monday that about 925 million people across the globe were undernourished in 2010. Of these, 906 million live in developing countries. The report says giving women the same tools and resources as men could increase agricultural production in developing countries by 2.5 to 4 percent. This could in turn reduce the number of hungry people by 12 to 17 percent, or by 100 to 150 million people. Director-General Jacques Diouf says promoting gender equality is crucial for agricultural development and food security.