New CGIAR report warns food-system pressures could widen gender gap by 2050

A new CGIAR GENDER Accelerator report says climate shocks, trade disruption and other crises could leave women in low-income countries further behind unless governments, funders and businesses act now. The report lays out targeted reforms to make food, land and water systems more resilient and more equitable by 2050.

Why it matters: - Pressure on global food systems could widen gender inequality by 2050 if governments and development partners do not target women’s inclusion. - The report argues that women are central to building resilient food systems, but current shocks are already hitting them harder. - The publication says closing gender gaps is part of making food, land and water systems more productive and resilient.

What happened: - CGIAR GENDER Accelerator released a new report, Advancing equality, transforming futures: a path to resilient and productive food, land and water systems in 2050. - The report was unveiled on the International Day of Rural Women and during the International Year of the Woman Farmer. - The report calls on governments, funders, NGOs, researchers and the private sector to act between now and 2050.

The details: - The report says the fuel and fertilizer crisis, climate extremes and trade disruption have disproportionately affected women over the past year. - It outlines solutions including institutional, legal and social reform, inclusive infrastructure, social protection, improved data-gathering and responsible use of emerging technology. - The report says climate change will reduce water availability and could increase the time women spend collecting water by 30%. - It says rural women are expected to move into off-farm jobs by 2050, including roles in retail, processing and logistics. - The report warns that transition will likely be uneven. - It recommends safer work environments and technical training for women paired with efforts to challenge social norms that increase unpaid care burdens and limit women’s decision-making. - The report says digital technologies could help reduce gender gaps, despite a current digital divide between men and women. - It cites research showing women in Kenya are up to 25% less likely than men to access digital climate advisory services because of structural gender barriers. - The report urges technology developers to involve women in designing breakthrough tools like AI before scaling them. - It also recommends training and support so women can use these technologies effectively. - The report says it provides a blueprint of proven solutions for policymakers, funders, the private sector and other actors. - The report includes a source link for more information: the CGIAR GENDER Accelerator. - CGIAR describes itself as the world’s largest publicly funded agrifood research partnership, operating through 13 research centers in more than 70 countries with close to 9,000 staff and more than 3,000 partners. - More information about CGIAR is available at CGIAR.

Between the lines: - The report shifts the conversation from isolated gender programs to system-level reform across food, land and water systems. - The focus on infrastructure, social protection and technology suggests the gender gap is being framed as a structural issue, not only a labor or access problem. - The message is that resilience policy will miss a major driver of vulnerability if it treats women as beneficiaries instead of decision-makers.

What’s next: - The report says governments, donors, NGOs, researchers and companies will need to use the coming years to shape how food systems evolve by 2050. - The authors want women included in the development and deployment of emerging technologies before those tools are scaled. - The report’s recommendations point to future policy debates around water, labor, digital access and social norms in agrifood systems.

The bottom line: - CGIAR’s new report says food-system resilience and gender equality now depend on the same set of reforms, and delaying action could deepen the gap between women and men by midcentury.