This archive report was first published on 15 October 2019.
October 15 marks the International Day of Rural Women, a day to recognize the critical role and contribution of rural women in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security, and eradicating rural poverty.
Observed annually since October 15, 2008, this year's theme is Rural Women and Girls Building Climate Resilience, highlighting the need to act against climate change and the role of women and girls in developing mechanisms to face it.
Women and girls in rural areas play a vital role in ensuring the sustainability of their households and communities, actively improving their livelihoods and overall wellbeing.
They form a majority of the agricultural labour force, including informal work, and are involved in a substantial amount of unpaid care and domestic work within families and households in rural areas.
Despite their significant contributions to agricultural production, food security, and nutrition, land and natural resource management, and building climate resilience, women and girls in rural areas suffer disproportionately from multi-dimensional poverty.
According to the United Nations, one in three employed women works in agriculture globally, and 80 per cent of households without piped water rely on women and girls for water collection.
Empowering women is crucial in tackling the threats posed by climate change, as it confers a power and capacity that enables them to respond to climate change.
Women have the power to mobilise and educate their communities on climate change, in addition to adopting low-carbon technologies.
