Egypt’s Ministry of Planning, NIGSD held a round table on "Women's Empowerment and Agricultural Technology in MENA”

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (NIGSD), the training arm of the Ministry, held recently a round table on "Women's Empowerment and Agricultural Technology in MENA" ​​in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and UN Women.
During her speech, Dr. Sherifa Sharif, Executive Director of NIGSD, referred to the importance of digital technologies in creating new opportunities for farmers and agricultural workers. Sherif explained that a digital food system can provide more equitable opportunities for all, increase productivity and resilience to climate change, share knowledge, and build farmers' capacities.“Digital agriculture also brings economic benefits through increased productivity and access to market opportunities. It has a social impact by supporting labor formalization and financial inclusion and by promoting traceability and transparency in supply chains,” She said.Moreover, Sherif added that (Digital agriculture) supports the share of knowledge, capacity development, access to finance, climate dependence, and environmental protection, stressing those digital tools and smart agricultural solutions not only increase production but can help solve social and environmental challenges in this sector.Sherif highlighted that these opportunities are not shared equally between men and women due to the digital divide that may make women less efficient, stressing that empowering women leads to stronger and inclusive global economic growth, as well as achieving social justice. She further indicated that research conducted by the International Monetary Fund showed that increasing women's participation in the labor market can bring significant gains to national income, as a 34% growth rate in GDP can be achieved if female participation is equal to that of men.  Sherif noted that women in Egypt are more vulnerable to informal work, due to reduced access to quality education, which improves their chances of decent work.She also explained that 2019 witnessed a decline in women's participation in the workforce to its lowest level in 5 years due to Covid-19 and that the rate of women's use of the Internet is lower compared to men (women 47%, men 69%).Sherif stressed that increasing the rate of women’s participation in the workforce to 35% by 2030 is a strategic goal for Egypt, which requires creating work environments that encourage women, increasing women’s representation in leadership, as well as supporting educational and digital literacy programs for women.

About Women in the agricultural sector, Dr. Sherifa Sherif explained that the agricultural sector in Egypt has a high percentage of women's employment.The agricultural sector employs 45% of women in the labor force (while only 24% for men). Women are also more involved in labor-intensive tasks such as harvesting, manual pest control, weeding, etc. In addition, 94% of the harvesting in Upper Egypt is done by women and 67% in Lower Egypt, which puts them in a position more vulnerable and workable informally.“Less than 5% of the land is owned by women, they are less likely to obtain long-term loans, and agriculture accounts for 32.4% of women's informal employment”. Sherif said.Sherif added that, according to The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the world's agriculture sector has become "feminine" due to the migration of men from rural to urban areas.