Rural Women Are Transforming Agriculture – Here’s How

Rural Women’s Day(opens in new tab) is an important milestone in the UN calendar, celebrating the vital contributions that women make in rural communities. While women farmers still face significant barriers in agriculture, they are also driving change in their families and farms.  

When women are empowered(opens in new tab) through knowledge and skill sharing, the effects are felt far beyond the individual, benefitting entire communities. In this blog, we look at the ways in which rural women are driving change at a local level, helping to boost yields and incomes worldwide.

From financial crisis to agripreneur

Razia Sultana is a farmer from Rangpur, Bangladesh. She’s rebuilding not only her livelihood, but also the livelihoods of other women in her community.

Following the collapse of the family’s sapling business, Razia stepped up and embraced business and technical training from the CABI-led PlantwisePlus programme. She learnt about modern nursery management and marketing to help expand her business. Equipped with new skills, she increased her seedling nursery from 100 trays to 800. She tripled her monthly income and began repaying the family debt.