Celebrating rural women farmers around the world

Sunday, Oct. 15 is International Day of Rural Women, a day dedicated to the millions of women living and farming in rural locations around the globe. Today we celebrate their contributions to rural development and agriculture.

Although women have always been key players in agriculture, women who own and work on farms need far more support than they currently have. For example, 2022 Global Food Security Index (GFSI) data show the gap in global gender inequality disproportionately impacts women globally – who often

lack access to inputs like seed, education and income. This is critical, because according to the United Nations , agriculture production could rise by 2.4 to 4% in the poorest regions simply by giving women the same opportunities as men. A global survey conducted by Corteva with more than 4 thousand rural women in 17 countries also revealed this gender inequality as well as women′s desire for more access to training, technology and recognition to their important contributions to society.

We need to be actively involved and committed to improving access to inputs for these women farmers – and I am proud to share that for many years Corteva has been dedicated to empowering women by providing technology and expertise, as well as helping remove social and political barriers.

This includes programs like Corteva’s first Women Agripreneur Program in South Africa , facilitated by Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) Business School’s Entrepreneurship Development Academy. Launched in 2021, the initiative aims at enhancing the entrepreneurial, business and leadership skills of women in farming, as well as ensuring they are able to operate and sustain their farms sustainably and profitably. Now in its third year, the program has elevated the skills of dozens of outstanding women who are now shaping African agriculture.

In Latin America, Corteva launched the Women′s Leadership Academy . In just five years, the program has engaged more than 10,000 women through events and workshops. In the United States, our teams work directly with women farmers to provide them with the agronomic support and knowledge they need to improve their farming operations, and programs like our global Corteva Grows Science Outreach program supports communities by providing hands-on experiences for women and youth.

At the corporate level Corteva is working with Catalyst , a nonprofit devoted to building workplaces that work for women. One area in which Catalyst focuses is advancing women – and working together, we can increase the representation and promote equal access, both in our fields and in our offices. By joining forces with thought leaders like Catalyst, we are bringing awareness to pressing issues that need the support of large companies and individuals.

This International Day of Rural Women, I encourage you to take time to recognize the need for improvement and awareness – and to ACT on it. Women farmers feed their communities as well as provide for their own families – which is something we need to encourage, especially given the pressing need to continue progress in combat food insecurity.