Source: Guardian Media
Recognising the critical role and contribution of rural women, the theme of International Women's Day 2012 is Empower Rural Women—End Hunger and Poverty. The day will be observed tomorrow. Key contributors to global economies, rural women play a critical role in both developed and developing nations—they enhance agricultural and rural development, improve food security and can help reduce poverty levels in their communities.

In some parts of the world, women represent 70 per cent of the agricultural workforce, comprising 43 per cent of agricultural workers worldwide. Estimates reveal that if women had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by 20–30 per cent, lifting 100-150 million out of hunger.

Healthcare, education, gender inequality and limited access to credit, however, have posed a number of challenges for rural women. Further, the global food and economic crisis and climate change have aggravated the situation. It is estimated that 60 per cent of chronically hungry people are women and girls. Yet, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates reveal that productivity gains from ensuring equal access to fertilisers, seeds and tools for women could reduce the number of hungry people by between 100 million and 150 million.

Latest data from the United Nations on the status of women around the world show the following:
Poverty
- Countries with the highest levels of hunger also have very high levels of gender inequality (2009 Global Hunger Index. The Challenge of Hunger: Focus on Financial Crisis and Gender Inequality. IFPRI Issue Brief 62.)
- Gender inequality is a major cause and effect of hunger and poverty: it is estimated that 60 per cent of chronically hungry people are women and girls (WFP Gender Policy and Strategy).
- In the context of Latin America 110 women aged 20 to 59 are living in poor rural households for every 100 men in Colombia and 114 women for every 100 men in Chile. In sub-Saharan Africa (Cameroon, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda and Zimbabwe) there are more than 120 women aged 20 to 59 living in poor households for every 100 men (UN Women Progress report 2011).

Agriculture
- Estimates suggest that if women had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by 20–30 per cent, lifting 100-150 million out of hunger (FAO (2011). The State of Food and Agriculture: Women in Agriculture, Closing the Gender Gap for Development, Rome).
- Equal access to resources will raise total agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5–4 percent, thereby contributing to both food security and economic growth (FAO (2011). The State of Food and Agriculture: Women in Agriculture, Closing the Gender Gap for Development, Rome)
- The OECD estimates from recent years show that only five per cent of aid directed to the agricultural sector specifically focused on gender equality. (OECD, The Development Co-operation Report 2011)
- Women constitute half of the agricultural labour force in least developed countries (FAO, The Role of Women in Agriculture).

Land rights
- For those developing countries for which data are available, only between 10 and 20 per cent of all land holders are women (FAO (2011). The State of Food and Agriculture: Women in Agriculture, Closing the Gender Gap for Development, Rome).

Labour force
- In most countries women in rural areas who work for wages are more likely than men to hold seasonal, part-time and low-wage jobs and women receive lower wages for the same work (FAO (2011). The State of Food and Agriculture: Women in Agriculture, Closing the Gender Gap for Development, Rome).

Access to credit
- The share of female smallholder farmers who can access credit is 5-10 percentage points lower than for male smallholders. (FAO (2011). The State of Food and Agriculture: Women in Agriculture, Closing the Gender Gap for Development, Rome)
- In rural sub-Saharan Africa, women in smallholder agriculture access less than 10 per cent of available credit (UN (2011). Report of the Secretary-General on Ten-year appraisal and review of the implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2001-2010, A/66/66.)

Health
- Only one third of rural women receive prenatal care compared to 50 per cent in developing regions as a whole. (United Nations, The Millennium Development Goals Report 2010 and 2011 (New York, 2010 and 2011), available from www.un.org/millenniumgoals/reports.shtml.)