There is a joke circulating among development agencies in Uganda that updates the ‘give a man a fish’ slogan:

“Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day.

Teach a man to fish and he’ll feed himself forever.

Teach a woman to fish, and she’ll feed herself, her family, her neighbors and her guests.

Give a woman a cow and teach her to care for it, and everyone gets fed, schools and clinics get built, government becomes more accountable, and the cow doesn’t do too badly either!”

This issue of Land O’Lakes International Outlook looks at reasons why there “are there so many additional benefits to targeting women in developing countries.”