8 March 2023 – On International Women’s Day, we commemorate the achievements of women family farmers, rural women and indigenous women, but we must remember the challenges that remain to be addressed in order to move towards more just and equitable societies that recognise the important role of rural women in the sustainability of food systems and the planet.

Women family farmers face many challenges in their lives. Despite producing more than half of the food consumed globally, the unequal conditions they face in terms of access to productive resources, services and opportunities make them more vulnerable to hunger, poverty and the effects of climate change.

Under this year’s slogan #RuralWomenForSustainability, this March 8^th we are joining the struggle of women family farmers, recalling their fundamental role in agricultural production, agrobiodiversity conservation, and the defence of natural resources and ancestral practices.

It is necessary to ensure women’s leadership in public policy design processes by guaranteeing that specific measures are put in place to redress existing inequalities and imbalances. Women are agents of change and it is essential to visibilise and recognise their role, as this is the only way to bring about social, economic and cultural change in family farming.

The WRF and its partner organisations work to promote the participation and leadership of women family farmers in public policy design processes, strengthening their capacities and creating spaces for the exchange of empowerment experiences that serve to unleash their full potential in order to continue advocating for the sustainability of food systems and the planet.

The Pillar 3 of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming, in its Action Plan, aims “to promote gender equity in family farming and the leadership role of rural women“, and sets the course for joint actions that contribute to developing effective tools and measures for the economic, social and political empowerment of rural women.

In August 2023, the 2^nd International Meeting of Rural Women will be held in Brasilia, in the framework of the 7^th Marcha das Margaridas. An event that will bring together women family farmers from all latitudes with the same purpose: to continue working together for policy frameworks, mechanisms and incentives to unlock their enormous potential towards achieving sustainable, resilient, inclusive and viable food systems.

COOPERATIVISM AS A STRATEGY FOR RURAL WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT

Cooperativism can play a catalytic role in the empowerment and resilience of rural women. Organising in cooperatives and/or associations offers solutions to generate income, access markets, improve production conditions and fight poverty.

Cooperativism as a response to the challenges faced by women farmers, improves access to markets, reduces risk through diversification and financing, strengthens capacities, improves negotiation skills and fosters women’s participation in all decision-making processes.

More info:

• Women in the UN Decade of Family Farming https://www.familyfarmingcampaign.org/en/mujeres/
• Women in the AgriCOOPDS Initiative: https://www.agricoopds.org/en/mujeres/

February 14, 2023.- As a result of the project implemented in 2021 and 2022, the WRF and the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), in close collaboration with six regional agricultural organizations in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, promote the central role that associations and cooperatives in the empowerment and resilience of rural women.

The project identified and analyzed successful experiences to pinpoint the key elements for success, the main challenges, and the role of cooperatives and associations in the empowerment and resilience of rural women.

It was coordinated by the World Rural Forum, in collaboration with six regional agricultural member organizations, representing different regions : Central Africa, PROPAC (Plateforme Régionale des Organisations Paysannes d’Afrique Centrale); Southern and Eastern Africa, ESAFF (Eastern and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers’ Forum); Central and Eastern Africa, REFACOF (Réseau des Femmes Africaines pour la gestion Communautaire des Forêts); Central America, PDRR (Programa de Diálogo Regional Rural para Centroamérica y República Dominicana); South America, COPROFAM (Confederación de Organizaciones de Productores Familiares del MERCOSUR); and Asia, AFA (Asian Farmers Association). The project was made possible thanks to the collaboration of the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF).

The aim of the project was to design useful, effective, and adaptable tools to reinforce the advocacy work of family farming organizations, defending women’s economic empowerment through association and cooperativism on the agendas of governments and international organizations.

It was implemented through two main axes: communication activities to promote the role of cooperatives in the sustainable and inclusive development of women in agriculture. As a result, several documents were published (Lessons learned and Public Policy Recommendations), a series of videos of successful experiences (see here) and a cycle of exchanges.

The Rural Women and Cooperativism cycle of exchanges promoted six of the experiences and good practices of rural women’s cooperatives and associations identified within the framework of the project. It was carried in two webinars that highlighted the diversity and dynamism of women’s agricultural groups and cooperatives. Inspiring and valuable experiences of women’s agricultural groups or cooperatives from Central and East Africa, Latin America, and Asia were shared. The agenda of the first webinar is available here and the second one here

Interventions in the exchange cycle enphasized the key role of associations and cooperatives in rural women’s empowerment. Cooperatives offer solutions for generating income, accessing markets, improving production conditions, and fighting poverty. Cooperativism was unerlined as a response to the the challenges faced by women farmers : improved access to markets, risk reduction through diversification and financing, capacity building, negotiation, participation of women in all decision-making processes.

This project served to highlight the importance of supporting cooperativism, with the need for public policies and programs that promote and sustain this type of organization, thus improving the socioeconomic conditions of women farmers, promoting employment and transparency in governance.

For the World Rural Forum, it is crucial to ensure that women family farmers can be provided with the frameworks, mechanisms and incentives to unlock their enormous potential towards sustainable, resilient, inclusive, and viable food systems.

In this sense, the WRF will continue to work within the framework of the enormous opportunity presented by cooperativism and the United Nations Decade for Family Farming (UNDFF) 2019-2028.

For further information:

• Women and Cooperativism – a website on the project  https://www.agricoopds.org/en/proyecto-mujeres-y-cooperativismo/

Related news:

• CYCLE OF EXCHANGES – RURAL WOMEN AND COOPERATIVISM: INSPIRING SHARED EXPERIENCES
• MORE THAN 100 WOMEN IN FAMILY FARMING IDENTIFY TRAINING NEEDS TO STRENGTHEN THEIR LEADERSHIP ROLE IN FAMILY FARMING