PepsiCo and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have entered a US$20 million partnership to support women in agriculture and help build a more sustainable food system.

The five-year partnership’s goal is to drive inclusivity across the food and beverage industry for a gender-inclusive supply chain with increased productivity.

“We expect that by engaging women as critical partners, on-farm productivity will increase, compliance with our sustainability standards will improve and supply chain performance will be strengthened,” says Christine Daugherty, vice president of global sustainable agriculture and responsible sourcing at PepsiCo.

To help address these challenges, USAID and PepsiCo will each invest an initial US$5 million to jumpstart the program, which will support small- and medium-sized enterprises owned by women.

The program also bolsters women-led PepsiCo suppliers to improve the resiliency of rural farming communities in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

“We know that women make up nearly half of the agricultural workforce and we can have a greater impact by investing in women,” affirms Daugherty. 

Extending equality
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, if women farmers had the same access to resources as their male counterparts, their food production would increase by up to 30 percent. This would help eliminate hunger for 150 million people. 

However, the lack of land rights and limited access to information, technology and financing, as well as expectations of domestic work based on prevailing gender norms are all barriers to achieving this reality.

“At USAID, we believe that investing in women is key to advancing a country along its journey to self-reliance. The full economic inclusion of half the world’s population ultimately will contribute to greater peace and prosperity for all,” says USAID acting administrator John Barsa.

The collaboration is part of the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) initiative. The US White House established the program to scale up private-public partnerships that empower women.

Barsa notes that this work would not be possible without collaborating with the private sector. “Through the W-GDP fund, our partnership with PepsiCo will promote economic opportunities and leadership roles for women farmers.”

The newly announced partnership builds on the lessons learned from PepsiCo and USAID’s recent project in West Bengal, which helps women lease land, as well as provides training on a broad range of topics.

In West Bengal, women are taught skills in record keeping, pest control, irrigation and crop rotation techniques. The training also addresses the role of women in agriculture and cultural norms that may hold them back. 

Ultimately, it is expected that the training program in West Bengal will reach more than 300,000 women through direct and community engagement.