Women farmers were at the center of a luncheon in Des Moines sponsored by Oxfam America.
The event was part of the week-long festivities surrounding the World Food Prize and it was meant to highlight the importance of women in food production.
The only woman to hold the job of Secretary of Agriculture in Iowa, Patty Judge, told the audience women are key to feeding a hungry world.
“Chronic hunger most often affects women and children," she says. "Investing in women as farmers raising food to feed their hungry children is just the right thing to do.”
Judge says women get little credit for their contributions to food production and noted her personal experiences in state government as an example.
“I was told repeatedly, even after being elected and serving for a number of years, that being Secretary of Agriculture was not really a proper job for a woman," she says. "The truth of the matter is, yes it is a proper job for a woman.”
Judge raises cattle in southern Iowa with her husband.
She says it’s crucial to give women access to land, seed, markets and credit.
Oxfam America gave its annual Female Food Hero honors during the lunch to farmers from Tanzania and Nigeria.