March 2021

When Women Rise, We All Rise

When women are empowered, everybody stands to benefit. Our work is proof of that. Whether it’s providing opportunities to start a business or freeing up time to get an education, unlocking the potential of women has a ripple effect in communities and strengthens their resilience.    In the face of COVID-19, unlocking the potential of women is more important than ever. From farmers to entrepreneurs to researchers, Feed the Future works with women across the food system to overcome barriers to reach their economic potential and lift up their communities. For nations to prosper—and for the global economy to recover from this pandemic—we can’t leave out half the world’s population.    This Women’s History Month, find out how Feed the Future is empowering women everywhere to end hunger, poverty and malnutrition.  For stories and updates related to Feed the Future and global food security progress, keep an eye out for our upcoming newsletter issues.

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Check Out This Year's Photo Contest Winners

This year, our partners submitted more than 150 inspiring photos of Feed the Future in action. These images give us a glimpse into the resilience and strength of communities around the world despite a year filled with extraordinary challenges. View the winning submissions via the link below.

Durga Thapa is a farmer from the Jagaruk Cooperative in Nuwakot, Nepal. This photo was taken by 2021 first-place winner Robic Upadhayay, for Feed the Future Nepal Knowledge-Based Integrated Sustainable Agriculture in Nepal (KISAN) II.

Meet the winners

Meet the 2021 Growing Women's Entrepreneurship Winner

Hadija Jabiri, founder and managing director of Tanzania-based horticulture company EatFresh, recently received the 2021 Feed the Future Growing Women’s Entrepreneurship award. The award will help Hadija scale her business to support even more smallholder farmers in Tanzania.

Explore Hadija's story

Women are Front and Center in Combating the Climate Crisis

Women are leading the fight against the climate crisis by designing and implementing climate-smart solutions and offering their valuable knowledge on natural resource management and adaptation strategies. SERVIR—a USAID-NASA program that anticipates climate risks from space—designs solutions that meet the unique needs of women and provides opportunities for women in the geospatial sciences workforce.

Learn more

"Gender Is A Hot Topic In Agriculture. It's Missing The Point."

Hale Ann Tufan writes on the importance of centering women in agricultural research and highlighted exemplary efforts, including the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement’s work to create inclusive spaces in their teams that equally value all voices.

Read the full post

Understanding the Gendered Impacts of COVID-19

To properly address the unique ways COVID-19 impacts women—such as lingering income shocks and more difficulty accessing food—we need to first understand these gendered impacts. Researchers from IFPRI, the World Bank and the Center for Global Development have conducted phone surveys to understand these impacts in real-time.

View the discussion

Valuing Women's Contributions to Our Coffee

Your morning cup of coffee depends on women’s invaluable contributions to coffee production around the world. Due to traditional gender attitudes and barriers to access, however, these contributions are often overlooked. As the role of women gains recognition and gender roles shift, more women are able to participate in the supply chain and take on greater roles in decision-making.

Find out why

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Photo and Video Credits: ACDI/VOCA and KISAN II Feed the Future is the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative.