The Rise of Rural Women: Building Resilient Futures with Beijing+30

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In a world steeped in patriarchy the worth of rural women is oftentimes undervalued and underappreciated. Despite this, women make up close to 40% of global agricultural labour force according to a 2023 United Nations report. Women and girls in rural areas suffer disproportionately from multi-dimensional poverty. Unquestionably, they are as productive and enterprising as their male counterparts but are less able to access land, credit, agricultural inputs, markets, and high-value agrifood chains and obtain lower prices for their crops. Disturbingly, structural barriers and discriminatory social norms continue to constrain women’s decision-making power and political participation in rural households and communities. Women and girls in rural areas lack equal access to productive resources and assets, public services, such as education and health care, and infrastructure, including water and sanitation, while much of their labour remains invisible and unpaid. Globally, with few exceptions, every gender and development indicator for which data are available reveals that rural women fare worse than rural men and urban women and that they disproportionately experience poverty, exclusion, and the effects of climate change. This narrative is problematic and therefore needs to be remedied. Under the theme “The Rise of Rural Women: Building Resilient Futures with Beijing+30,” International Day of Rural Women which is being observed on October 15th seeks to highlight the inequalities women still face. Additionally, the day is set aside to advocate for the recognition and participation in decision-making of rural women as well as to demand stronger social protection systems; and reduce the digital divide. The commemoration aligns with the spirit of Beijing+30, a global plan for gender equality focused on eradicating poverty, achieving climate justice, and ensuring the full participation of all women and girls in sustainable development .Rural women face a significant burden of unpaid care work, both in the family and community spheres, closely related to the care giving roles that our societies define as feminine. As a result, rural women face greater job insecurity, are often situated in the least profitable segments of value chains and have limited access to contributory and non-contributory social protection, greatly increasing the feminization of poverty, the incidence of food and nutritional insecurity among them, and reducing their resilience to crises, events, and shocks associated with climate change. The International Day for Rural Women, first established by the General Assembly in its resolution 62/136 of 18 December 2007, recognizes “the critical role and contribution of rural women, including Indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.” Importantly, rural women and their organizations are on the path to claim their rights as they advocate for a decent and livable wage as well as a decent standard of living. Supporting Rural Women. The Joint Programme on ‘Accelerating Progress towards the Economic Empowerment of Rural Women’ (JP RWEE) is a global initiative aiming to secure rural women’s livelihoods, rights, and resilience through a holistic approach encompassing social, economic and political domains of empowerment. Jointly implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the programme builds on each agency’s comparative advantage and strengths to improve the status of women in rural areas. JP RWEE is implemented in Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Tanzania, Tunisia and the Pacific Islands (Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Tonga). On this the International Day of Rural Women we pause to salute the hard work and contribution of rural women to nation building and sustainable development. This important day should also be one of reflection as it relates to gender equality and the value society places on rural women. The international community should also urge governments to redouble their efforts in ensuring that the labour rights of rural women are protected and strengthened especially in an era of rapid technological expansion. Investing in rural women is both an act of justice and a safeguard for our shared future. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #RuralWomenDay

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