Let’s not forget the world’s 1.7B rural women

March 8 celebrates the rights of women — all women.

Today, let’s turn the spotlight on the 1.7 billion women — onefifth of humanity — who live in rural areas of developing countries. They face unspeakable difficulties, but we hear little about them; far from the media and microphones, they are often unaware of their rights.

Let’s not forget these women, who are crucial to food security on the planet. They represent around 40 per cent of the agricultural workforce in developing countries. This percentage varies from 20 per cent in Latin America to 50 per cent or more in certain regions of Africa and Asia. Yet, less than 15 per cent of the world’s landowners are women.

Women play a predominant role in agrifood systems, and even more so in subsistence farming. Small-scale farmers — both men and women — produce a third of the world’s food. We therefore owe these rural women in developing countries gratitude for a significant proportion of the food on our plates.

Yet, the situation for these women is not improving. The productivity of land cultivated by women is 24 per cent lower than that of men due to limited access to resources such as seeds, fertilizers, agricultural machinery and livestock. And, of course, the wages of women employed in the agricultural sector are lower than those of men. Where a man earns a dollar, a woman earns 82 cents on average for the same work.

Rural women therefore have poorer working conditions. They are also more exposed to hunger. Nearly 32 per cent of women are moderately or severely food insecure, compared with 27.6 per cent of men (2021 figures), and this gap has widened since.

So, what can be done? At a time of economic hardship, investing in rural women is an excellent idea. Studies show this time and time again. The more women have access to education, tools and resources, the more society benefits: with increased productivity, reduced poverty and better food security for families. By becoming more inclusive, societies become more resilient to economic and climatic shocks.

A case in point? Closing the agricultural productivity gap and the wage gap between women and men would increase global GDP by one per cent. These gains would translate into a two-point reduction in food insecurity. In concrete terms, this would mean 45 million people moving away from hunger.

That said, we’re not starting from scratch. More than half of bilateral funding for agriculture and development already addresses gender issues, but only six per cent of this funding goes to projects where gender is the fundamental focus. We need to do more and better.

Achieving gender equality is a unique and complex challenge. It requires far-reaching changes in all levels of society, in public policy, in institutional structures and social norms.

But we also need to implement all the successful local projects that have worked so well in reducing inequalities in rural communities on a much larger scale. These interventions, such as access to productive assets, training sessions, supporting women producers’ organizations, access to finance for income-generating activities, support for participation in decision-making processes, have all shown positive impacts in reducing inequalities and empowering rural women.

Increased investment of $360 billion (U.S.) per year is required to scale up these gender equality programs. Despite the substantial cost, investing in gender equality and women’s empowerment as part of the sustainable development goals can lead to major benefits in term of growth and food security. In these difficult economic times, let’s not forget the 1.7 billion rural. It’s our moral duty. It’s also an excellent investment.

GERARDINE MUKESHIMANA IS THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT. IFAD IS AN INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTION AND A UNITED NATIONS SPECIALIZED AGENCY. SHE WAS RWANDA’S MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND ANIMAL RESOURCES FROM 2014 TO 2023.

Studies show this time and time again. The more women have access to education, tools and resources, the more society benefits