According to a WFO press release, the election of a woman as its head highlighted the importance of the role women play in agriculture and in fighting world hunger.
“Women contribute to more than 60% of the world’s food production. Statistics show that women are central to agriculture, especially in Africa and Asia. As a woman and a small farmer, I am not only a food producer, but also a real economic actor of a sector that is not different from any other economic sector,” said Nguleka.
The WFO press release said Nguleka was born in Zambia and is part of the million small farmers who are the real foundation of worldwide agriculture. She also has a degree in veterinary medicine from the University of Lusaka.
“For too long the role of the farmer was taken for granted, almost as if we were vending machines for food,” said Nguleka.
Before joining the WFO presidency, she was the first woman president of the Zambia Agricultural Organisation and the Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU).
