Countries of the Americas are making strides in empowering rural women, but the long road ahead is filled with obstacles, warn female ministers of Agriculture in forum convened by IICA

San Jose, 24 August 2023 (IICA) - Countries of the Americas have implemented policies and programs aimed at empowering rural women, but a lot of work remains to be done to bridge the gender gaps that hinder women’s participation and inclusion on an equal footing.

This was a point of consensus at the IV Forum of Female Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Senior Officials, a high-level reflection forum convened by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). Participating both in person and virtually were rural women leaders from various countries throughout the region, national authorities and representatives of international agencies.

Held at IICA Headquarters in San Jose, Costa Rica, the meeting allowed for highlighting the contributions of rural women to economic development and well-being in their communities, as well as proposing policies with a gender perspective that can help to reduce inequalities. This was the fourth edition of the permanent forum, which is promoted by the hemispheric agency specializing in agricultural development and rural well-being with a view to fostering dialogue, collaboration and policymaking to prioritize and strengthen the role of rural women in agrifood systems of the Americas.

The main topic of discussion was the care economy, an area in which there is a significant time use difference between men and women. Throughout the continent, rural women dedicate more weekly hours to unpaid domestic work than rural men or women living in cities.  

Participating in the panel discussion on the care economy in agrifood systems of the Americas were Nelly Paredes del Castillo, Minister of Agricultural Development and Irrigation of Peru; Jhenifer Mojica, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Colombia; Laura Suazo, Secretary of Agriculture and Livestock of Honduras; Carla Barnett, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); Suzy McDonald, Assistant Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Fernanda Machiavelli, Executive Secretary (Deputy Minister) of the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Family Farming of Brazil; and Nerissa Gittens, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The officials recognized IICA’s work to address gender issues at the rural level.

IICA Director General Manuel Otero delivered the opening and closing remarks at the event, whose media-partners were the renowned publications Clarín Rural, of Argentina, and El Tiempo, of Bogotá, Colombia.

“Fifty-four million rural women are involved in important food production activities. However, one out of every three women lack their own income”, noted Peruvian minister Paredes del Castillo. She stated that, in her country, rural women work 12.5 more hours per week than men, and added that 62% of that time corresponds to non-remunerated work.

“The burden of unpaid domestic work on women means that they have less time available for other activities, affecting their ability to exercise their rights”, she explained.

According to the minister, last year in Peru, “several million soles were allocated to support rural women’s business plans”. She noted that an additional budget had been approved for this year.

Mojica revealed that, in Colombia, four out of every ten rural women suffer from extreme poverty, and that the burden of unpaid care work is three times that of men. She also reported that only 26% of agricultural production units are led by women.

The minister stated that Colombia had enacted a regulation that recognizes the care economy, “which enables us to generate data related to time use by rural women in the care economy, which, in turn, facilitates decision-making regarding policies. This is very valuable”.

Laura Suazo, the first woman ever to lead the Secretariat of Agriculture in Honduras, considered that the key to bridging gaps lies in “creating more opportunities and more education, as well as promoting better salaries for women. We also need to create spaces where babies can be cared for or that provide pregnant and breastfeeding women with greater flexibility. We need more programs and projects that can help us believe in ourselves, in our capacity and skills to help build societies”.

Financial and productive autonomy

Fernanda Macchiavelli reported that Brazil offers specific microcredit lines for women, which enables them to develop their own projects and achieve financial and productive autonomy.

“We are implementing a national policy on the topic of care; it is a new agenda we have been working on to provide women with support. We are also creating a youth agenda for young rural women, who are the ones who migrate to cities the most. Our goal is to foster rural retention by providing them with opportunities that foster healthy agrifood systems while also distributing care work in a more equitable manner between men and women”, she remarked.

Suzy MacDonald explained that women bring new energy to agriculture in her country. “Canada is committed to providing resources to support initiatives that foster women’s leadership. We must ensure that they have the tools they require”. In this regard, she cited a program to support under-represented groups in agriculture, including young women, and another that facilitates access to working capital. 

Nerissa Gittens of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines noted that women account for more than 50% of food production in her country, yet are underrepresented in official records. “Women”, she said, “are less likely to own land, have more limited access to markets and marketing strategies, and face a growing demand for child and elder care”.

Additional panel discussions were carried out to address topics such as “The challenges faced by rural women”, “International cooperation actions to foster integrated care systems targeting rural women”, and “Funding the care economy for economic growth and human development in the agrifood systems of the Americas”. 

The Director General of IICA, Manuel Otero, underscored the machismo that predominates in rural areas of the region, adding that “the first step is to recognize this”. To that end, he considered it crucial to ensure that the public agenda acknowledges the fact that more than half of food is produced by  rural women, whose work plays a key role in fostering sustainable, equitable development in the countryside.

“If there is one thing I am sure of”, concluded Otero, “it’s that the future of agriculture – that sustainable agriculture sector we all aspire to achieve – will only make sense if we foster equality and social justice and, with the support of women, are able to capitalize on the opportunities afforded by new technologies to produce more and healthier food, in harmony with nature”.

In closing, the Minister of Agricultural Development and Irrigation of Peru, remarked that, “just as this meeting belonged to us, to quote Manuel Otero, the challenge is now ours to address. We must figure out how to work together to advance towards the care economy in agrifood systems of the Americas”.

More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int