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International Rural Women’s Day Commemoration (IDRW) 2024
Harare, Zimbabwe; October 15, 2024 –
Women’s Democracy Network (WDN) proudly joins the global community in commemorating International Rural Women’s Day. Today, we pay tribute to the tireless contributions of women living and working in rural areas women, who are the backbone of our communities.
We shine a spotlight on the remarkable achievements of women living and working in rural areas worldwide, breaking down stereotypes and inspiring positive change. As we commemorate International Rural Women’s Day, we acknowledge the vital role women play in shaping a sustainable future.
As we honor these unsung heroes, WDN-ZW emphasizes the critical need for gender-responsive policy and strengthening gender responsive budgeting for public services especially related to education, water, clean energy, health, access to finance, technology and property rights to address the unique challenges faced by women living and working in rural areas. Despite comprising 70% of Africa’s agricultural labor force.
RECOGNIZING RURAL WOMEN’S CONTRIBUTIONS,
Empowering Rural Women Globally, International Theme This Year’s Theme: Empowering Rural Women for a Sustainable Future.
According to World Bank Globally, Women represent upwards of 40% of the agricultural labor force globally and grow much of the food for their families and communities, contributing significantly to food security and sustainable agriculture. Women play a vital role in global agriculture, representing; – 40% of the agricultural labor force, – 60% of the workforce in subsistence farming and – 50% of smallholder farmers.
African Union Theme: Commemoration of International Day of Rural Women (IDRW) 2024
Theme: Empowering Women Living in Rural Areas through Education and Access to Technology: Bridging the Gap for Inclusive and Sustainable Agri-Food Systems in Africa
African Union’s Commitment, The African Union’s Malabo Declaration and the Agenda 2063 emphasize the importance of empowering rural women and promoting inclusive and sustainable agri-food systems.
According to FAO, In Sub-Saharan Africa, women contribute 60 to 80 percent of the labour in both food production for household consumption and for sale. A survey of national sectoral reports for Benin, Burkina Faso, the Congo, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe found that women’s contributions to household food production range from 30 percent in Sudan to 80 percent in the Congo, while the proportion of women in the economically active labour force in agriculture ranges from 48 percent in Burkina Faso to 73 percent in the Congo (FAO, 1994).While there are significant variations by country, overall women in Africa play a major part in sowing, weeding, application of fertilizers and pesticides, harvesting, threshing, food processing, transportation and marketing.
Zimbabwe Theme: Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All
Zimbabwe’s Commitment to Rural Women
In Zimbabwe, the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) aims to promote gender equality through gender mainstreaming by 2025. The strategy addresses hurdles faced by women, including limited access to finance, land, and policy influence. Programs such as the Youth and Women Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity for All, and women empowerment initiatives are underway to empower rural women.
This year’s local theme resonates deeply with Zimbabwe’s Constitution and National Development Strategy 1, emphasizing rural women’s critical role in agriculture and food security.
WDN-ZW REMAINS DEDICATED TO;
- Advocating for an enabling environment for women’s leadership representation and participation in public life including in development processes at community, national and international level
- Promoting rights realization, enjoyment, protection, awareness and accountability by duty bearers for women living and working in rural areas to enjoy and assert their rights and empowerment
- Gender responsive policy making advocacy for education reforms to ensure enhanced access to education and economic opportunities
- Promoting climate-resilient agriculture practices informed by women’s knowledge, experiences and development priorities
- Supporting women-led agricultural initiatives
More so women are the backbone of agriculture and food security, producing over 50% of the world’s food. They manage natural resources, support local economies, and care for families and communities. In Africa, women constitute 60% of the agricultural labor force. Women continue to face’
– Limited access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities
– Restricted land rights and ownership
– Inadequate social services, access to technology and infrastructure
– Climate change and environmental degradation
– Persistent social and cultural barriers
GENDER-RESPONSIVE POLICY AND BUDGETING ARE ESSENTIAL TOOLS TO BRIDGE THESE GAPS, ENSURING.
– Inclusive decision-making processes
– Targeted resource allocation
– Equitable distribution of benefits
– Enhanced accountability and transparency
WDN-ZW ADVOCATES FOR POLICY REFORMS AND BUDGETARY ALLOCATIONS THAT
- Promote women’s land and natural resources access, ownership and control
- Enhance access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities
- Support climate-resilient agriculture practices
- Strengthen social protection programs
BY PRIORITIZING GENDER-RESPONSIVE POLICY AND BUDGETING, WE CAN
– Empower rural women to drive sustainable development
– Foster equitable economic growth
– Ensure food security and nutrition
– Build resilient communities
Join WDN-ZW in commemorating International Rural Women’s Day and advocating for gender responsive and transformative policy and budgetary changes.
Let us celebrate Women’s resilience, Leadership and determination. Together, we can play our part to support their public participation and leadership in towards sustainable development.
#InternationalRuralWomensDay #RuralWomenDay #WomenEmpowerment #Sustainability #AgriFoodSystems #GenderEquality #Action4Equality