This piece originally appeared on Nourishing Millions, via IFPRI. 

Can we really rid the world of hunger and malnutrition in under a decade? The Nourishing Millions podcast series, undertaken in partnership with the University of Michigan School of Public Health, features the latest groundbreaking thinking about nutrition from top policymakers, researchers, and practitioners. Together, the episodes tell the story of how small and large movements—and everyday people—can help us achieve a food- and nutrition-secure world.

In this week's episode, Nourishing Millions spoke with Catherine Bertini, professor at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, distinguished fellow at the Council, and 2003 World Food Prize Laureate, about the many challenges that face women living in low- and middle-income countries today. Professor Bertini details the role of women as the cooks and caregivers of the household, and laborers within agriculture, dual roles that make them critical to ending hunger and malnutrition. She proposes that girls’ and women’s education is the foremost step to creating not only opportunities for women, but also increasing the agricultural productivity and economic opportunities within their countries. The episode relates some innovative solutions to ensuring that families keep their daughters in school, and Professor Bertini’s vision of a world in which all women can lead fulfilling lives.