Over the past year, global food prices have soared, making even the most basic foods—such as rice and corn—too expensive for the world’s poor. The result? Millions of families are enduring extreme hunger or starvation. As is all too often the case in times of crisis, women and children are suffering the most.
Why Do Food Prices Matter So Much?
Most Americans have noticed an increase in milk, bread, and egg prices. What many people don’t realize is that spikes in food prices can plunge households in developing countries even deeper into extreme poverty. This is because they spend an average of 70 percent of their incomes on food, compared to the 15 to 18 percent that households in industrialized countries spend. Over the past nine months, world food prices have increased by an astounding 55 percent. The cost of corn alone rose 87 percent in March. These are more than just statistics. The increase has had dramatic consequences for the billion people worldwide who live on less than one dollar a day: for many Central American families, for instance, the already meager breakfast of a corn tortilla is no longer an option.
Even before the food crisis hit, the majority of the world’s hungry—seven out of ten—were women and girls. Now they are at risk of becoming permanently malnourished, creating irreversible health problems for the next generation.
Why Are Women More Affected?
Women make up the majority of the working poor, farmers, and informal sector workers. This means they do not have the benefits or formal protections often provided by governments and employers. Compounding this problem is the fact that in many cultures, women and girls eat the last and the least.
Women Can End the Food Crisis
Investing in women is key to solving the food crisis. Rural women alone produce half of the world’s food and 60 percent to 80 percent of the food in most poor countries. In spite of this, they receive less than 10 percent of credit provided to farmers! In some places, if women had the same access as men to land, seed, and fertilizer, agricultural productivity could increase by up to 20 percent. Furthermore, decades of research and experience have shown that when women have extra income, they reinvest in their children’s health and education, creating a positive cycle of growth for the entire family. In a June 25th LA Times Op/Ed on the food crisis, “Feed to Lead,” Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary General, and John J. Danilovich, CEO of the Millenium Challenge Corporation wrote, “Special attention must be paid to women, who make up the majority of farmers throughout Africa and in many other parts of the developing world.” Simply put, economic opportunity for women means their children are more likely to eat, eat nutritiously, and eat regularly.
What We Can Do: The GROWTH Act
The Global Resources and Opportunities for Women To Thrive (GROWTH) Act fights poverty by investing in those who are most affected by it and most likely to end it—women and girls. Now more than ever, it is critical to give women in developing countries the tools they need to lift their families out of poverty. Passing the GROWTH Act is a concrete step the U.S. can take to do this.
Ask Congress to pass the GROWTH Act! Take action today!
Download our Fact Sheet on Women and the Food Crisis.
Photo courtesy of Women Thrive Worldwide
