HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DAY OF RURAL WOMEN!

October 24, 2020

By Amapola

Everything I didn't know about this great day

This day has been celebrated since October 15th, 2008, when it was declared so by the United Nations. Its purpose is to recognize the hard work of these great women and their contribution to global development, food safety and the eradication of poverty. Rural women also help global climate by sowing, taking care of soil and collecting water for small populations.

Did you know rural women represent ¼ of the world's population and just under 20% of landowners in the world are female? I didn't know that either.

It turns out, rural women face plenty of obstacles; the main one being gender discrimination. It's an unfortunate reality that affects this population. Despite being great producers, the differences in salary, opportunities and support compared to their male counterparts are quite disheartening.

Currently, with the global pandemic, as a high-risk population, women have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. This, coupled by scarce resources and the high cost of sanitary requirements, makes daily life a constant struggle as female farmers.

I hope and wish with all my heart that their reality improves, as farmers and as women. The change won’t be immediate but the reward must be high to match all the hard work they do. Rural women are caretakers of the earth, mothers, entrepreneurs and fighters.

This day should be commemorated, remembered and written into our history books. It's necessary for everyone to learn about their contributions and their work so they may be properly supported and respected.

To all our rural women, may your efforts not be in vain.

Sources: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/10/announcer-rural-womens-day-theme-2020

https://www.un.org/en/observances/rural-women-day