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USAID announces GROW initiative to help women face threats from climate change, food crisis

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched the Generating Resilience and Opportunities for Women (GROW), a new USAID commitment to tackle urgent challenges women are facing in food and water systems, including climate change, while unlocking opportunities for women to advance economically – ultimately benefiting their families, communities, and societies at large through improved food security, resilience, and economic growth.

USAID Administrator, Samantha Power, made the announcement on Monday, according to a statement from the organisation.

Subject to the availability of funds and Congressional notification, GROW will specifically focus on women’s empowerment in the food and water sectors and invest up to $335 million through the U.S government’s Feed the Future initiative led by USAID and through USAID’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and Adaptation activities.

This commitment will enable USAID to deepen and scale its programming to reach, benefit, and empower more women around the world as they, their families, and their communities face worsening climate-driven and food security crises.

In close collaboration with country governments, implementing partners, and local communities, GROW will advance women’s empowerment across three priority areas: increase women productivity and resilience to shocks; support women to fully participate in and benefit from more diversified and climate-resilient economic opportunities in food and water systems – including in value chains beyond production; and lastly drive the humanitarian system to prioritise addressing the unique needs of women and girls affected by climate and food-security crises.

Across these three priorities, GROW will address the discriminatory social norms and rules that create and reinforce gender inequalities across food and water systems.

GROW aligns with USAIDs goal to double our investments in gender equality by 2023 and builds on the agency’s recently updated Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy, which outlines the vision for our work to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment around the world.

GROW was announced at the U.S. Launch of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisations (FAO) Status of Women in Agrifood Systemsreport, which calls for new approaches to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment and build inclusive, resilient and sustainable food systems. The report provides the latest data, lessons learned, and recommendations to guide policy and decision-makers in that effort.

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