“The Economic Empowerment of Women to Combat Malnutrition,” a 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit Pre-Summit Affiliated Session, discussed the SoyaKit, a soy processing system that allows women in rural areas to generate livelihood improving income and fight malnutrition in their families and communities.

To alleviate malnutrition in a sustainable manner and to progress toward gender equity, local, nutritious food-centered micro-enterprise is pivotal. IFDC and Malnutrition Matters empower rural or village-based women and youth to use the low-cost SoyaKit to make affordable protein-rich soyfoods for their neighborhoods, while making a daily $4 profit. Increased income generation is foundational for gender equity. This micro-enterprise requires 2 days’ training in food-processing and business, is environmentally friendly (soy foods require 10x less energy than animal protein), produces many tasty foods, is quickly profitable, and is a strong catalyst for gender equity initiatives with a policy/cultural/educational focus.