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Thursday, 13 October 2011
Page: 7335

Senator RHIANNON (New South Wales) (12:46): I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 483 standing in my name for today relating to global food security and women smallholder farmers.

Leave granted.

Senator RHIANNON: I move the motion as amended:

That the Senate—

   (a)    notes that:

      (i)   the weekend of 15 October and 16 October 2011 marks both International Day of Rural Women and World Food Day,

      (ii)   the coming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in October 2011 and the G20 meeting in early November 2011 both have food security on their agenda,

      (iii)   currently more than 50 per cent of the world's food is produced by smallholder farmers, the majority of whom are women,

      (iv)   despite doing the majority of the farming in sub-Saharan Africa women farmers receive only 5 per cent of the training, own just 2 per cent of the land and access only 1 per cent of the credit available for agriculture,

      (v)   policies to improve agricultural output must be tailored to assist women if they are to be effective, and

      (vi)   the contribution of women farmers must be recognised and properly supported if we are to achieve food security across the globe; and

   (b)   calls on the Government to:

      (i)   ensure that support for women smallholder farmers is part of Australia's contribution to addressing international food security challenges, and

      (ii)   raise the importance of the role of women smallholder farmers at CHOGM in Perth in October 2011 and at the G20 meeting in Cannes in early November 2011.

Question agreed to.