International Day of Rural Women was first celebrated on October 15, 2008, after being declared by the United Nations as an annual observation and continues to be commemorated today.

From the UN Women’s website, this day celebrates the role rural women play in our world. These women lead our nations in “agriculture, food security and nutrition, land, managing natural resource management and unpaid and domestic care work.” We can especially rely on their help when our natural resources and agriculture are being threatened. This day, according to the website, is intentionally held the day before World Food Day.

Despite their tremendous help, rural women still suffer from poverty and gender inequality from their male counterparts. Rural women, according to the UN Women’s website’s Events page, “are less able to access land credit, agricultural inputs, markets, and high-value agrifood chains and obtain lower prices for their crops.”

From the background of the International Day of Rural Women, the organizations of the UN and civil society work together to try and improve the situation rural women are put into. Some examples of this are “ensuring that the perspectives of rural women are taken into account,” “addressing the specific health needs of rural women, “supporting a gender-sensitive education system that considers the specific needs of rural women,” and more.

This day brings empowerment to not only rural women, but to women around the world. Seeing a group of women leading the world with their expertise gives us a chance to feel a strength within ourselves. They make an impact on the environment, the world, and the people around them.