Why we celebrate Rural Women’s Day

frequently lack the power to secure land rights or to access vital services such as credit, inputs, extension services, training and education.
Their vital contribution to society goes largely unnoticed.
World Rural Women’s Day aims to change this by bringing rural women out of obscurity at least once a year — to remind society how much they owe to rural women and to give value and credit to their work.
The idea of honouring rural women with a special day was put forward at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, in 1995. It was suggested that October 15 be celebrated as “World Rural Women’s Day”, which is the eve of  World Food Day, to highlight rural women’s role in food production and food security.
“World Rural Women’s Day” was previously celebrated across the world for more than a decade before it was officially a UN observance.
Did you know?
l Rural women comprise more than one quarter of the total world population.
l 500 million women live below the poverty line in rural areas.
l Women produce 60-80 percent of basic foodstuffs in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean.
l Women perform over 50 percent of the labour involved in intensive rice cultivation in Asia.
l Women perform 30 percent of the agricultural work in industrialised countries.
l Women head 60 percent of households in some regions of Africa
l Women meet 90 percent of household water and fuel needs in Africa.
l Women process 100 percent of basic household foodstuffs in Africa.