The 2019 annual report on trends and prospects (ATOR) was launched on Monday, November 11 in Lomé, Togolese capital on the sidelines of the annual conference 2019 of the Regional System of Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Management (ReSAKSS) organized by the Institute International Food Policy Research (IFPRI). This report, entitled « Gender Equality in Rural Africa: Commitments to Results », shows that gender difference is an obstacle to eradicating hunger in Africa.
Indeed, this report seeks to bring together the various research findings with a view to advancing gender equality on the African continent in order to achieve the goals of eliminating hunger in accordance with the 2014 Malabo Declaration. The work of this meeting was chaired by the Togolese Minister in charge of agriculture, animal production and fisheries, Noel Koutéra Baraka in the presence of Sékou Sangaré, Commissioner for the Economic Community of African States of the West (ECOWAS), in charge of Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, Dr. Ousmane Badiane, Africa Director of the International Food Policy Research Institute, Dr. Djimé Adoum, Executive Secretary, Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), Burkina Faso, of Dr. Afeikhena Theo Jérôme, Special Advisor to the Commissioner, Parteme Agriculture and Rural Economy, African Union Commission (AUC-DREA), Dr. Agnes Quisumbing, Senior Researcher, Poverty, Health and Nutrition (PHND) Division of IFPRI, and Dr. Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Senior Researcher, Environment and Production Technology Division (EPTD), IFPRI. This Conference focuses on the review and dialogue around the implementation agenda of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP).
Open the work of this meeting, the Togolese Minister of Agriculture Baraka Koutera welcomed that Togo, his country which is honored to host this meeting is in line with the theme for the presentation of this meeting. report. For, according to him, the National Development Program (NDP) fully integrates gender and agriculture issues through its axis3 which emphasizes that exclusivity and gender equality should enable the achievement of the objectives of the National Development Program (PND). PND « Agriculture is at the heart of government action because it remains an essential lever for creating wealth and jobs, inclusive development and promoting economic growth. The gender equalizer and the empowerment of women is at the heart of the NDP by 2022, « he said. Dr. Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Senior Researcher, Environment and Production Technology Division (EPTD), IFPRI and co-editor of this report « Malabo’s commitments will not be respected without taking into account the gender dimension and without a work in terms of gender equality « . It remains convinced, however, that « it will not be possible to measure progress or to hold leaders accountable without systems that include data on gender gaps ». Indeed, sex-specific norms, particularly the conceptions determined by the culture of the status of men and women in society, are recognized as important obstacles to the economic empowerment of women.
Thus, these standards affect various aspects of agriculture, namely: resource ownership, participation in activities and decision-making, thus preventing women from actually contributing to production, resulting in decreased productivity and growth. . Gender norms can thus affect the performance of the entire agricultural sector, making the struggle for the eradication of hunger futile.
