The International Day of Rural Women was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007 to recognize the vital role rural women play in agriculture, food security, and rural development. First celebrated in 2008, the day highlights rural women’s contributions to improving livelihoods and building sustainable communities. Despite making up a significant portion of the global agricultural workforce, rural women face unique challenges, including limited access to resources and decision-making platforms. Their contributions, however, are crucial to sustainable development.
This year’s theme, “Rural Women Sustaining Nature for Our Collective Future: Building Climate Resilience, Conserving Biodiversity, and Caring for Land Towards Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women and Girls”, underscores the critical role rural women play in mitigating climate change, protecting biodiversity, and promoting sustainable land management.
Rural Women’s Impact on Climate Resilience and Biodiversity
Rural women contribute about 43% of the agricultural labor force in developing countries. In Nigeria, they are pivotal to climate adaptation, employing sustainable farming practices like crop diversification and soil conservation. According to FAO, rural women could increase agricultural productivity by 20-30% if given the same access to resources as men, potentially reducing global hunger by 12-17%.
Rural women are custodians of biodiversity, using traditional knowledge of seed saving and sustainable agriculture to preserve genetic diversity. Since 2002, Diamond Development Initiatives (DDI) has been committed to empowering rural women across Nigeria. Working with donors and partners like USADF, USAID, GAIN, AGRA, CRS, and Mercy Corps, DDI has implemented projects supporting rural women’s economic empowerment, food security, and environmental stewardship.
For instance, through the GAIN’s SNiPS Home Gardening Project, DDI has helped over 10,000 households – many led by women – adopt sustainable gardening practices in Benue, Kaduna, and Nasarawa States, boosting food security and nutrition. Similarly, DDI has supported the USAID Feed the Future initiatives by building capacity in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Climate-Smart Agriculture, while establishing Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) and Post-Harvest Quality Management Associations (PHQMA), which have empowered rural women by improving financial inclusion and reducing post-harvest losses.
In Oyo State, DDI’s GAIN SNiPS Cassava Biofortification Project has supported rural women farmers in producing Vitamin A cassava, addressing nutritional deficiencies and increasing income generation opportunities. The AGRA-PIATA Project has bolstered market systems in Kaduna and Niger States, benefiting women-led smallholder farms, while the USAID Nigeria Livelihoods Project, implemented with CRS, improved the livelihoods of over 67,000 households across five states.
Through the STaR Project, funded by Germany’s KfW Development Bank, DDI created economic opportunities for women in Borno and Adamawa States, revitalizing the Lake Chad region’s economy.
These projects highlight DDI’s commitment to empowering rural women to sustain nature, build climate resilience, and foster community development.
On this International Day of Rural Women, we must advocate for greater inclusion of rural women in decision-making processes at all levels. Empowering rural women is essential for achieving gender equality, food security, and environmental sustainability. As FAO notes, giving women equal access to resources can significantly impact global food security and poverty reduction.
At DDI, we are proud to work with our partners to support rural women in their essential work of sustaining nature, building climate resilience, and securing food systems for our collective future. Let us celebrate rural women – the unsung heroes of climate action and environmental stewardship.
Happy International Day of Rural Women!