International Day of Rural Women 2023: Date, history, significance

International Day of Rural Women 2023: Here's all you need to know about the date, history, significance of International Day of Rural Women

Did you know that on an average, women make up 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? Additionally, less than 15% of landholders worldwide are women but the role of rural women is often underappreciated and undervalued in shaping the future of their communities and the world hence, International Day of Rural Women underscores the need for gender equality, empowerment and improved living conditions for rural women as they are essential for sustainable development and the eradication of poverty in rural areas.

UN Women highlights that from production of crops to processing, preparing and distributing foods, women’s labour – paid and unpaid – feeds their families, communities and the world yet they do not wield equal power with men and as a result, they earn less income and experience higher food insecurity.

Date:

The International Day of Rural Women is observed annually on October 15.

History:

The International Day of Rural Women was first celebrated in 2008, following a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. The day was established to acknowledge the vital contributions of rural women to their communities and the global economy and celebrate the critical role that rural women play in agriculture, food production and rural development.

Significance:

To recognise the work of these heroines in the food systems of the world and claim rural areas with equal opportunities for all, the International Day of Rural Women is celebrated. It recognises “the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.”

It aims to encourage governments and society to pay attention to the rural women's needs and invest in them, pursuing the political and socio-economic empowerment of rural women and supporting their full and equal participation in decision-making at all levels, take them into account in their policies, developing specific assistance programs and advisory services to promote economic skills of rural women in banking, modern trading and financial procedures and providing microcredit and other financial and business services or designing laws to ensure that rural women are accorded full and equal rights to own land and other property, just to name a few.