On October 15,International Day of Rural Women 2022 celebrates the contributions of rural women towards food security, local communities and global economies. Daw Pyone Kyi and Daw Zin Ma represent the voices of the often invisible rural women in Myanmar who are overcoming challenges due to the ongoing crises. 

Rural Women are essential for sustainable food and agriculture systems, development and natural resource management all over the world.  Globally, 70 percent of the agricultural workers, 80 percent of food producers and 15 percent of those who process basic food, are women. Despite their vital role in agricultural production, gender norms and structural barriers result in women having less access to services, including health, nutrition, education and information, earn less income and experience higher food insecurity. In crises settings women often bear the brunt of impacts, exacerbating socioeconomic vulnerabilities. According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, the gender food insecurity gap has widened from 1.7 percent in pre-COVID-19 to 4 percent in 2022. 

The conflict in Myanmar has heightened this global trend. Around 70 percent of the population in Myanmar live in rural areas. Since 2019, rural populations in Myanmar were more likely to experience continued declines in their income and increased food insecurity. Women, who represent 52 percent of rural populations, were more likely to reduce their food consumption as a coping mechanism. According to a June 2022 FAO and WFP Food Security Assessment Report , 30 percent of rural female-headed households recorded insufficient food consumption, compared to 23 percent of rural male-headed households.

In Myanmar, 15.1 percent of rural households are headed by women in 2010. Daw Pyone Kyi from Tawpakaut Village, Thahton Township, Mon state said: “I am the sole breadwinner of my family since my husband died, so I am responsible for not only earning money through growing vegetables in my backyard but also for ensuring that my children get enough nutritious food. Due to the COVID-19 outbreaks and the movement restrictions, I barely earn my income by doing casual work. Through the support of unconditional cash grants and vegetable seeds, I have been able to improve my home garden and I now produce more food and different types. This allows me to provide for my family.”

Female-headed rural households face structural barriers which limit their resilience to shocks and equal participation in food systems and markets. Daw Zin Ma from Mon State is one of 39 percent of female-headed households in Myanmar without access to land.

 “I don’t own land. I grow my food and crops on rented land. Without any property, I had difficulties getting financial assistance through local money lenders to purchase seeds and fertilizers. I was struggling to make a living because of the rising prices of fertilizers and didn’t have any other source of income. The support in the form of unconditional cash grants enabled me to buy fertilizer for my crop and increase my yield enough to feed my family and make additional income. Rural women are powerful and constantly overcome challenges.”

Daw Pyone Kyi and Daw Zin Ma represent the voices of many rural women in Myanmar who are facing challenges due to the ongoing protracted crises. The right to food is a human right and gender equality must be included in the discussion to ensure food and nutritional security. Development actors and agents of change such as community leaders need to ensure the rights of rural women and must increase efforts to reach and empower rural women in the economic relief and recovery of Myanmar.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Currently in Myanmar, FAO is scaling up its emergency response across the country, including supporting rural women through a range of interventions to support crop, livestock and vegetable production, along with the rehabilitation of vital irrigation infrastructure and the implementation of cash-based interventions.

UN Women is the United Nations entity working for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. In Myanmar, UN Women works towards ensuring that women and girls affected by crisis lead, participate in and benefit from relief, response, peace and development efforts, thereby contributing to a more resilient and gender equal society.