Happy belated International Day of Rural Women!
Reaching women farmers with information on climate smart agriculture
by Damilola Aladesuru and Claudia Ringler
The International Day of Rural Women, celebrated every year on October 15, focuses attention on their essential role in producing food and driving rural development. Unfortunately, many obstacles also prevent them from excelling in those capacities.
Women account for close to half of all agricultural work done in Africa. In India, more than 80% of work in the livestock sector and one third in the crop cultivation sector is done by women. With men leaving agriculture faster than women in response to growing climate impacts—mostly because they can find other jobs more readily—women’s shares in agricultural labor are set to grow further. Women’s contributions are even larger in the food services sector, and more generally they are mostly responsible for cooking and putting food on the table.
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