Every day they farm and produce food in some of the world’s most challenging conditions. They’re business starters and community leaders, innovators and change makers. They have dreams for themselves, their families and their communities.
But they face enormous challenges, including a changing climate, food and water insecurity, isolation from roads and markets, conflicts and violence. They have fewer rights to the land they work and less access to the financing and inputs they need to farm more successfully, and diversify their livelihoods. And women are too often overlooked or silenced in the decisions that affect their lives.
When rural women are economically empowered, they can grow more, earn more, are more likely to send their children to school and feed their families more nutritious foods.
When rural women get equal access to tools, land and resources, and greater support and investment from governments, they can beat the odds and shape a better future.
It is estimated that by simply giving women the same access to productive resources as men, it would increase their farm yields by 20 to 30 per cent. This could feed an additional 100 to 150 million people.
When the world takes collective action, and invests in these 1.7 billion women and girls through agricultural and rural development, they can play a crucial role in ending extreme poverty and hunger.
1.7 billion
women and girls live in rural areas.
43%
of the agricultural labour force in developing countries is made up of women.
10%
of total aid for agriculture, forestry and fishing goes to women.
Progress starts from the ground up.
In order to do development differently, we need to level the field.
Add your name to send a clear message to the world that rural women and girls deserve equal access to opportunities and resources.