News: Remarks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies by Melanne Verveer, September 7, 2010.

“Investing in women is also a key pillar of the President’s Feed the Future Initiative, which was developed under Secretary Clinton’s leadership. It is a $3.5 billion commitment to strengthen the world’s food supply, so farmers can support their families and food can be available more broadly. It focuses on sustainably reducing hunger through greater agriculture productivity and recognizes that most of the world’s food is grown, harvested, stored and prepared by women who comprise the great majority of the world’s small-holder farmers. To that end, it recognizes that women farmers have specific needs for training, access to financial services, markets and decision-making if they are to become more agriculturally productive. In some regions, women produce 70% of food, earn 10% income, and own only 1% of land. The reform of land tenure and property rights, as well as inheritance laws, can help advance women in farming and help to secure the world’s food supply.”— Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, U.S. Department of State, “Making the Most of the Millennium Development Goals Summit: Advancing Progress Through the Empowerment of Women and Girls <http://www.state.gov/s/gwi/rls/rem/2010/146926.htm> ,”

News: Remarks by Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator, USAID, to InterAction Forum 2010,

U.S. Agency for International Development, June 2

“In our major food security initiative, we are deeply prioritizing investing in women farmers. We are looking at several decades of history where development efforts have essential prioritized providing services to men. And we’re asking our partners to hire female extension workers to collect gender-disaggregated data and to invest in women’s producers’ networks so we can disproportionately drive more of that investment to women.”

http://www.usaid.gov/press/speeches/2010/sp100602.html

Event (DC): “A Changing Landscape for Women Farmers; Gender and the Administration’s Feed the Future Initiative”

Wednesday, June 9 8:30–‐9:30 a.m. Rayburn 2325 Science& Technology HearingRoom

Featuring

Chairwomen Rosa DeLauro(D-­CT) and NitaLowey (D-­NY)

Please RSVP to kzhang@womenthrive.org