Development Works Number 5, December 2012 | Page 5

&
Realities

Myths
Myth: Agricultural productivity receives a

Reality: Until recently, donors had ne-

large enough share of U.S. development assistance. It is not important to make it a higher
priority; investing in industries like mining or
manufacturing clothing is just as useful.

glected agriculture for decades. But smallholder
farmers and laborers are vital to feeding a growing population, and they are also the majority of
the world’s hungry people.
Given the limited development funding available,
investments that make agriculture more productive—and farmers’ livelihoods more resilient in
the face of crises such as drought—should be
a top priority. Productive use of available land is
essential to making further progress on global
hunger and poverty.

Myth: Opening an agricultural develop-

Reality: Many societies have a “separate

ment program to both male and female farmers
is enough to ensure that it is successful.

and unequal” system of allocating work, family
responsibilities, and access to resources based
on gender. Simply indicating that women are
eligible to participate in programs will not
necessarily ensure that they actually participate.
Identifying factors that reduce women’s likelihood of benefiting from programs—and strategies to ease those barriers—is essential to
effective agricultural development.

Barriers can be powerful whether they are practical (tools, supplies, the authority to make decisions, time to spare from work and children) or
cultural (perhaps women generally do not attend
classes with men, or it is seen as a husband’s
role to interact with outsiders and pass along to
his wife the information she needs).

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