October 15th each year celebrates the International Day of Rural Women. This day honors the crucial role women play in ensuring the sustainability of rural households and communities.
Rural women make up one-quarter of the world’s population. One in three employed women around the world works in agriculture. Unfortunately, in many countries, rural women face many challenges.
Besides living in poverty, they are excluded from leadership and decision-making. They also lack access to education, health care, and public services. In developing countries, women make up 43% of the rural workforce. In these countries, women work alongside men, make important decisions, and have more rights.
No matter what their country, rural women are a force to be reckoned with. Rural women are often in charge of managing agriculture and livestock production. Many of these women are open to innovation, are financially independent, and have completed higher education.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) states that with improved technology and access to the required financial resources, women could increase plantation yields by up to 30%. This would reduce the number of undernourished people throughout the world by 17%.
Along with agriculture and livestock production, women in rural areas make significant contributions in other areas. These include nutrition, natural resource management, ensuring access to nutritious food, and building climate resilience.
The idea for the International Day of Rural Women was brought up at the Fourth World Conference on Women in China, in 1995. The suggested date was October 15th, as it is the eve of World Food Day. It was celebrated as World Rural Women’s Day until 2007 when the UN General Assembly established the International Day of Rural Women. The first observance was celebrated on October 15, 2008. It’s celebrated every year as a way to recognize the critical role and contribution of rural women.
The theme for the International Day of Rural Women (15 October), “Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All”, highlights the essential role that rural women and girls play in the food systems of the world.
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