The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization along with the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the International Labour Organisation collaborated on a report titled "Gender Dimensions of Agricultural and Rural Employment: Differentiated Pathways Out of Poverty" released today. The report concludes that with 70% of the world's extremely poor living in rural areas, raising rural women's economic participation is crucial to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). For the full report, click here.    

The report highlights the barriers to economic participation that women face particularly in rural areas. Women are disproportionately employed in low-quality jobs, have fewer hours of paid work but larger work burdens, and are paid less. As financial and food crises have hit worldwide, the progress being made in women's equality and employment opportunity has slowed. The report calls on governments to ensure equal access to education, business training, credit, and markets noting that 90% of the wage gap between men and women can be attributed to gender discrimination. The report has a very interesting comment about the "feminization of agriculture" (pages 29-30) as well as the potential impacts of climate change on women farmers (page 30).

IIRR works to make education, technical assistance, value chain access, and employment opportunities attainable for rural women. For more information on our programs in Africa and Asia, please visit our website - www.iirr.org