Why PepsiCo Wants to Close the Gender Crop Gap
Originally published on TriplePundit.com
With the scale and reach of its agricultural sourcing, PepsiCo wants to help farmers across its global supply chain become more sustainable. This is especially true of female farmers, who face significant barriers in what is increasingly being called the “crop gap.”
In a wide-ranging interview with TriplePundit, Christine Daugherty, vice president of global sustainable agriculture and responsible sourcing at PepsiCo, explained why sustainable agriculture—and the empowerment of female farmers in particular—is a central focus for the company.
Daugherty, who grew up in Iowa, right in the middle of the U.S. farm belt, says she recognized early on that the food and agricultural sectors were not making the most of “the immense skill and hard work that women bring to farming,” as she recently shared on the company's blog.
In developing countries, including regions from which PepsiCo sources crops, women represent 43 percent of agricultural labor. Yet, across these regions, much of the work women carry out day after day is done without training, key farming inputs, secure land rights, and often little or even no pay.
PepsiCo's Partnership with She Feeds the World
With its annual spend on agricultural products of well over $7 billion, PepsiCo is in a position to help change that situation. Earlier this month, the PepsiCo Foundation announced a partnership with CARE to tackle gender equality in agriculture with an $18.2 million investment in She Feeds the World, CARE’s food and nutrition security program aimed at benefitting 50 million female farmers in the developing world.
Read the full article here.
Image credit: Caroline Joe/CARE
