International Day of Rural Women: Princess Royal Frontiers Empowers Rural Women in Ogun-Waterside on Agriculture

As parts of its efforts to give women opportunities and improve thier productivity, Princess Royal Frontiers is training rural women on Agriculture in Ogun-Waterside to commemorate the International Day of Rural Women.

The International Day of Rural Women is celebrated globally on October 15. The day is dedicated to the millions of women living in remote, rural places and celebrates the achievements and contributions of these women towards rural development and agriculture. 

The theme for this year's edition of the International Day of Rural Women is, “Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All”, which highlights the essential role that rural women and girls play in the food systems of the world.

Speaking on behalf of the Frontiers, (Princess) Abioye Phillips said, "From production of crops to processing, preparing and distributing foods, women’s labour – 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.

"Despite our planet’s capacity to provide sufficient and good food for all, hunger, malnourishment, and food insecurity are rising in many parts of the world. 

"The COVID-19 pandemic, along with climate crises, have made matters worse: some 2.37 billion people did not have enough to eat in 2020 – that’s 20 per cent more than the year before.

"UN Women’s latest report, Beyond COVID-19: A feminist plan for sustainability and social justice, calls for rebuilding the broken global food system from the bottom-up by supporting rural women’s livelihoods to produce and distribute diverse and healthy food crops. With less than 10 years to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, including Zero Hunger (Goal 2) and Gender Equality (Goal 5), UN Women is working to support rural women and girls around the world, to build their resilience, skills and leadership.

The Princess Royal Frontiers is marking this day by encouraging rural women in Ogun-Waterside and Ogun State in general to keep the food chain growing until we are able to improve the distribution and reduce starvation and manutrition." She added