Rural women provide significant contributions to agriculture and food security while simultaneously taking care of their families and households. This heavy burden often goes unrecognized and uncompensated.

 In addition, rural women face barriers in access to resources such as property (including land), credit, technologies, decent employment, information and skills. FAO data indicate that gender-based inequalities are largely responsible for the underperformance of the agriculture sector.

 To address these issues, the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture initiated a unique project entitled “Leaving no one behind: Harnessing Opportunities for Economic Growth through the Greater Involvement and Empowerment of Rural Women in Turkey and Central Asia”.

 Beginning in October 2021, the project aims to help rural women in Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan gain crucial knowledge and skills to increase the productivity of their farms, start businesses and cooperatives, and become empowered agents of change in their communities. At the same time, policymakers and practitioners will enhance capacities to formulate evidence-based, socially inclusive and gender-responsive policies in agriculture and food security – and translate these policies into action. This will be achieved through a variety of approaches including an opportunity for the ministries of agriculture of Turkey, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to share best practices and policy solutions through a regional platform and networking opportunities.