In Women’s hands
This item currently has no comments. Add your comment.
Read USC Canada’s 2009 Annual Report
In this 100th anniversary year of the birth of USC Canada’s founder, Lotta Hitschmanova, what better way to pay tribute to her remarkable life and legacy than by celebrating the extraordinary role of women in feeding our planet!
It may come as a surprise to many that women are key conservers of our agricultural biodiversity, and produce half the food grown in the world. And in the global South, women produce up to 80 percent of food for families and markets.
When Lotta arrived in Canada in 1945, she was one of millions of people displaced by the tragedy of war. She mobilized huge resources in her time to feed refugees of armed conflict. Today, millions of women, men, and children are climate-change refugees in search of food – driven from their homelands by creeping deserts, chemically ruined soils, and the impacts of environmental degradation.
Too often ignored is the fact that solutions to some of these enormous global challenges lie in the hands of rural women. For generations, they have been diligently selecting and saving seeds, adapting varieties to local conditions and needs, stewarding the land, and putting food on the table for their families. They hold an often overlooked expertise and rich knowledge, helping to preserve the genetic heritage and vital biodiversity of the world’s food supply.
Our 2009 Annual Report, In Women’s Hands, recognizes and thanks women farmers for their dedication and skill. With our partners in many lands, USC’s Seeds of Survival program ensures women and their families can carry on the crucial work of building resilient communities – and feeding our precious planet.
Read the 2009 Annual Report now in English or in French.
Leave a Comment
USC Canada
was founded by
Dr Lotta Hitschmanova in 1945. Our award-winning Seeds of Survival program promotes vibrant family farms, strong rural communities, and healthy ecosystems around the world.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
