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Women everywhere are fundamental reservoirs of knowledge, expertise and skills. Even more so, rural women, possess finetuned capacities and understandings that are essential to sustaining food systems and preserving the environment, offering innovative tools to progress forward. On 15 October 2021, International Day of Rural Women, members of the WeCaN Community of Practice were asked to speak their mind on what this day means to them. 

The WeCaN Community of Practice is currently comprised of roughly 150 members, men and women alike, from dryland regions across the Global South and aims to empower and recognize women champions while cultivating and intensifying knowledge-sharing networks. 

When asked about the significance of this important Day, WeCaN member Pendo Yaredi Daudi Sambay, Director of BarefootCollege Tanzania, entrepreneur, and founder of the local NGO named Women and Children Welfare Support Association (WCWSA), replied, “the International Day of Rural Women needs to be honoured by governments, UN Agencies and local organizations, as these women pay high contribution to our country’s development. Indeed, women occupy more than 40 percent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries, ranging from 20 percent in Latin America to 50 percent or more in parts of Africa and Asia.” 

Ms Daudi further expressed that governments need to formally acknowledge the Day and provide support to rural women through increasing access to information and resources. “Women are not intended to only stay at home and take care of the children. They also need access to employment opportunities, education and public health services.”

Asha Abdalla, Sudanese activist, researcher, and founder of the Sudanese Organization for Research and Development spends most of her work in rural areas and feels quite connected to the challenges faced by women in the countryside. Not only is she a researcher and activist, but she also works specifically to combine advocacy with practical experiences. “Women need access to information, knowledge, and resources as well as recognition of their capacities, as they are contributing to national development. While women in rural areas play a great role in food production, preservation, storage, and distribution, their contribution is never properly taken into account, and they rarely have a seat in high-level arenas where decisions are made.”

Ms Abdalla further explains that while the UN Agencies are trying to help these women, they also need to further encourage governments to include them in either policy making or decision making as food producers. Given this current system, rural women remain in their traditional roles, and they aren’t getting the accurate support to shift into the empowerment processes. In Sudan, the staff of women farmers associations is composed by 90 percent of men. To combat this, Sudanese women organized a separate association, which became a successful example for the other women to follow. As members of WeCaN, these women hope to spread their empowerment processes through storytelling and knowledge sharing examples in order to escalate similar activities in their local communities. 

In FAO Lebanon, Marie-Louise Hayek wishes to remind all that, “the International Day of Rural Women is an occasion to remind us that gender equality and women empowerment are extended to all geographic areas and sectors, including, and maybe most importantly, rural areas. This is an occasion to push ourselves and others in translating the words, the themes, the studies, the research and the theories into actions and practices that improve people's lives.  

This is a day where we should measure how far we have come. This would boost our steps forward and allows the target to be ever more accessible.” 

Finally, Rosa Laura Romeo of the Mountain Partnerships Secretariat at FAO Headquarters speaks on behalf of rural mountain women. “For me, the International Day of Rural Women is an opportunity to recognize the contributions of mountain women worldwide, and, in particular, the management of mountain resources and their potential to drive sustainable mountain development. The 2019 resolution on sustainable mountain development adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (A/RES/74/227) underlines the need for improved access to resources and productive assets, including land, economic, and financial services for women in mountain regions, as well as the need to strengthen the role of mountain women in decision-making processes. It encourages Governments and intergovernmental organizations to mainstream a gender perspective in mountain development activities, programs, and projects towards the achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment. 

Gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls will make a crucial contribution to progress across all the Sustainable Development Goals and targets. We must remember that the achievement of full human potential and sustainable development is not possible if one-half of humanity continues to be denied full human rights and opportunities.” 

What do all these messages really aim to achieve? Women from across the globe provided their input and perspectives on what needs to be done, but words require action. Despite geographical distance, the core idea remains the same. Empowerment is merely the first step, but it also sets the stage for proper and successful advocacy. The more support and recognition that women provide for one another in rural areas, the more powerful they will feel, therefore allowing them to strengthen their ties and unite for a change. This strength, incentive, and network of women can act, calling for political change, advocating for equal rights and recognition, and more importantly, allowing women to raise their voices. But, before this can be achieved, women must feel comfortable with sharing their skills, providing a safe space to discuss challenges and common actions, and only then can real change be made.