Hyderabad, Sep 12 (IANS): Economic emancipation of women farmers will go a long way in eradicating hunger and poverty, agricultural experts said here Friday.

"Of the two billion small-holder farmers in the developing world producing majority of the world's food, 70 per cent are women, mostly living in extreme poverty. If we are to eradicate hunger and poverty, we need to level the playing field by economically empowering women farmers," said William Dar, Director General, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

Women farmers are the backbone of agriculture, Dar added, addressing over 1,500 women farmers from across 12 states of India at a function to mark ICRISAT women farmers' day.

He said that a UN study showed that empowering women farmers with new technologies and resources could help increase yield by 20-30 percent.

"It will also reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 100-150 million people."

Suhas Wani, director of ICRISAT development centre, said it is important to recognise the role of women in agriculture so that they can be an important engine of growth and poverty reduction.

"The number of rural women living in poverty has doubled since the 1970s. Rural women produce 50 percent of the world food but own only one percent of the (cultivated) land," he said.

ICRISAT recognised 30 women farmers at the function for displaying leadership qualities and achievements in their communities despite personal and social difficulties.

Thirty women farmers were felicitated as golden awardees, and 53 as silver ones for their exemplary leadership, and to encourage them to help more women farmers in their regions and motivate others to come forward and take leadership roles.

"... we apply fertiliser based on recommendation and adopt organic farming. This allows us to cultivate healthy food with reduced cost," said Rajeshwari V. Patil, a woman farmer leader from Karnataka.

To commemorate the occasion, profiles of these women farmer leaders were put together into a book, which was released at the function.

The ICRISAT women farmers' day is a celebration of the achievements of India's outstanding women farmers whose ingenious and resourceful ways have placed them at the forefront of the fight against poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation.