The economic empowerment of rural women will help lift them out of poverty and bolster food security.
This week, UN Women celebrates three days which reflect women's key role in development, beginning with International Day for Rural Women on 15 October, World Food Day on 16 October, and International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October. Gender inequality and limited access to credit, healthcare and education have posed a number of challenges for rural women. Meanwhile, the global food and economic crisis and climate change have only aggravated the situation. Some 925 million people go hungry every day. In many parts of the world, tradition dictates that women eat last, after all the male members and children have been fed. Women are also strong contributors to the economy, and form a large proportion of the agricultural work force globally. They can do much more given equal resources. FAO estimates if women farmers (43 per cent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries) have the same access as men to agricultural resources, this could increase produc...