Pressure on global food systems risks exacerbating gender gap by 2050 without targeted interventions, finds new report

Addressing gendered impacts of the polycrisis on food systems needs cross-cutting efforts by governments, and decision-makers, finds CGIAR GENDER Accelerator.

NAIROBI, KENYA, October 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Women in low-income countries are at greater risk of being left further behind than men by the impact of the polycrisis on global food systems, unless governments, donors and development partners improve inclusion, according to a new report.

The publication, Advancing equality, transforming futures: a path to resilient and productive food, land and water systems in 2050, calls on governments, funders, NGOs, researchers and the private sector to address the gender gap as food systems evolve between now and 2050.

Compounding pressure on food systems, from the fuel and fertilizer crisis to climate extremes and trade disruption, has disproportionately impacted women over the past year. At the same time, women remain central to building the resilient food systems the world needs to guard against emerging threats.

The report, released by the CGIAR GENDER Accelerator, highlights opportunities to reduce gender inequality through a set of targeted solutions, from institutional, legal and social reform, to inclusive infrastructure, social protection, improved data-gathering and the responsible use of emerging technology.

It provides a blueprint with proven solutions for policymakers, funders, the private sector and key actors on how to close gender gaps by 2050 through food systems transformation.

“The choices we make over the coming years will determine whether food, land, and water systems become more equitable or more unequal, more resilient or more fragile,” said Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR.

“We cannot feed our future without including women in our food systems - this report is a manual on how to do just that by 2050.”

The report was unveiled on the International Day of Rural Women and in recognition of the International Year of the Woman Farmer.

It finds, for example, that climate change will further reduce the availability of water, citing evidence indicating this could increase the amount of time women spend collecting water by 30%. It also finds that rural women are increasingly expected to move to jobs off the farm by 2050, presenting an opportunity for greater, more resilient livelihoods through higher quality jobs in retail, processing and logistics. But the report warns this transition is likely to be uneven.

To address these and other structural gender inequities across food, land and water systems, the authors set out interventions, including ensuring safer work environments, and bundling technical training for women with interventions that challenge the social norms that place a disproportionate burden of unpaid care on them and constrain their decision-making.

The report also finds that digital technologies hold significant potential to bridge gender inequities across food systems, despite the current digital divide between men and women. It cites research showing that in Kenya, for example, women are up to 25% less likely than men to access digital climate advisory services due to structural gender barriers. The report calls on technology developers to involve women in the development of breakthrough technologies like AI, before scaling their use. It also recommends complementary training and support for women, so they can make these technologies work for them.

“This report moves beyond recommending piecemeal interventions to outlining systemic structural changes that can decisively close the gender gap across food systems by 2050,“ said Nicoline de Haan, Director of the CGIAR GENDER Accelerator.

“Investing in women, not as laborers, but as leaders, is the path towards unlocking the full potential of our food, land and water systems.”

ENDS

Notes to editors
For more information or interview requests:

Ian Gachichio
Marchmont Communications
ian@marchmontcomms.com
+254 721 300873

Donna Bowater
Marchmont Communications
donna@marchmontcomms.com
+61 434 635 099

About CGIAR GENDER Accelerator
The CGIAR GENDER Accelerator works across CGIAR’s 2025–2030 Research Portfolio to place gender equality, youth, and social inclusion at the heart of agrifood systems transformation. It does so by generating high-impact evidence, co-design gender-transformative solutions, and by building strategic tools that dismantle systemic barriers for women and marginalized groups.

https://gender.cgiar.org/

About CGIAR
CGIAR is the world’s largest, publicly funded agrifood research partnership. Our ambition is a food-secure and climate-resilient future that leaves no one behind. We operate through 13 Research Centers, across more than 70 countries, and have close to 9,000 staff. Our impact is made possible by collaborating with over 3,000 partners.

https://www.cgiar.org/

Ian Gachichio
Marchmont Communications
+254 721 300873
ian@marchmontcomms.com