About the Author: Karen Johnson is the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Rome, Italy, where she works with FAO and other UN agencies in Rome to support innovative and effective development projects.

It’s normal to think that food assistance is simply about keeping stomachs full. But, in fact, it’s far more complex than that. It’s also about empowering and enabling people to support themselves and their communities on a sustainable basis. A couple of weeks ago, I traveled to Zimbabwe and Mozambique to visit development projects supported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in partnership with local authorities. It was there that I saw what a difference agricultural development efforts can make in people’s lives.

Women Take the Lead

It was clear to me that women play the key role in providing food and income to their families in both these countries. In the areas I visited, small-scale farmers are almost exclusively female. Many of the local men have moved to South Africa to work in mines, therefore women are the community leaders… more »