International Rural Women’s Day

Dr. Jassim Taqui

DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad, October 24,  2021: Marking the international rural women’s day on October 15, 2021, Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress, a project funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Trade Centre, and Research and Development Foundation (RDF) signed an MoU. The organizations will work together to uplift the rural women SMEs to increase business opportunities and employability and eradicate poverty.

Ms. Syeda Shehla Raza, Minister Women Development Government of Sindh, was the chief guest, and officials from International Trade Centre, RDF, and the government agriculture department came together to mark a partnership between the two organizations. She supported GRASP’s initiatives of linking rural women entrepreneurs to the male-populated markets, and highly appreciated the initiative of distributing digital devices to the women entrepreneurs to sell their products.

Mr. Robert Skidmore, ITC’s Chief of the Sector and Enterprise Competitiveness highlighted how improving the competitiveness of Small and Medium Companies can have a broad-based socio-economic impact.

Provincial Lead GRASP Ms. Shabnam Baloch stated that ‘Women are the face of farming, if the obstacles in their way are removed to access and own the land, get connected with the markets and are provided suitable working conditions, they will thrive as agri-business entrepreneurs.’

Dr. Kaiser Bengali, an economist and policy expert highlighted how entrenched gender roles in Pakistan can create obstacles for women to sell their crops in the market, especially when their mobility is controlled by obsolete cultural practices.

Mr. Ashfaq Soomro, Head of RDF shared RDF’s achievements for GRASP during the Covid-19 response, where a large number of women were trained around entrepreneurship, connected with the market, use digital spaces and earn from their work.

The theme for the International Day of Rural Women, “Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All, highlights the essential role that rural women and girls play in the food systems of the world.

From the production of crops to processing, preparing, and distributing foods, women’s labor – paid and unpaid – feeds their families, communities, and the world. Yet, they do not wield equal power with men, and as a result, they earn less income and experience higher food insecurity. The United Nations' International Day of Rural Women celebrates and honors women and girls living in rural areas on 15 October each year. It recognizes the huge role that rural mothers, daughters, and grandmothers play in producing food, and building agricultural and rural development worldwide.

GRASP is working to help small and medium-sized enterprises in horticulture and livestock become more competitive by making improvements at all levels of the value chain. The project especially focuses on empowering women by bringing them into the conversation, creating jobs, and strengthening women’s organizations, by providing producers with targeted services, such as access to market information, credit, and training. It also supports firms in processing commodities into value-added goods, adopting better technology, and building efficient and inclusive supply chains.

RDF will implement GRASP in increasing capacities of SMEs to add value through compliance with food safety in 12 districts across Sindh and ensure rural women's development across selected areas.