Issue 65 Sept 1998 World Rural Women's Day

Elly Pradervand, Coordinator of World Rural Women's Day Campaign, wrote the following 'Open Letter to Rural Women of the World':

Open Letter to Rural Women of the World

For thousands of years, you have produced your own food and guaranteed food security for your children and communities. What an achievement! Yes, you feed the world (as stated by the FAO on the occasion of World Food Day). Yes, you are central to food security and you are leaders in the movement for 'safe food' and safeguarding bio-diversity, but you do not enjoy all your human rights.

This Day is meant to empower you to claim your human rights, especially your right to development to health and well-being, including food, clothing, housing and medical care. Your right to human dignity, quality of life, and peace are all guaranteed by the International Bill of Human Rights*. You have the right and obligation to first ensure the nutritional basis for you and your family. You have a track record of having taken responsibility for food production, management and consumption into your own hands. Eradicating your poverty is a problem of income not just a production problem. You have a right to land and productive resources to education, information, know-how, to credit and reasonable income for your work. Claim it! Your involvement in rural and farmer's organizations and cooperatives at all levels is essential to undertake concerted action and voice your opinion and rights to governments. Participation in decisions affecting your lives is critical if you are to m! meet future challenges in food and agriculture affecting the well-being of your rural populations.

On a global scale, you produce more than half of all the food that is grown (up to 80 percent of basic foodstuffs in Africa; 60 percent in Asia; between 30-40 in Latin America and Western countries). In many parts of the world your home gardens represent some of the most complex ecosystems. You are the preservers of traditional knowledge of indigenous plants, and you recognize the importance of forests as the source of food, fodder, medicinal and many other products used in the household thereby responding to the requirements of small producers and family enterprises. This proves your particular interest in sustainable development and in preserving the environment. You are with good reason fighting the monopoly control of seeds which would threaten biodiversity, thus you exercise stewardship for the whole planet. You also work to change models of development and trade.

Despite your contributions to farming, forestry and fishing, despite the fact that you insure household food security and are often the sole family provider, despite working more hours per day and harder than most men you remain invisible and unrecognized and many people still perceive you as inactive and dependent. Your work is not recorded in statistics nor mentioned in reports. In fact most of your work goes unrewarded, and research, development programs and investments often by-passed you. This must change. You prove daily that you are creative, dynamic and courageous partners in development. You play a critical role in feeding a rapidly increasing population and represent a formidable potential could help in meeting the challenges of food security in the 21st century. You, rural women of the world are the true heroines of our planet. You do more, with less means, than any other group of people in the world.

World Rural Women's Day was created for you to help you make your contributions shine in your communities and receive due acknowledgment and support. It is a Day to assert yourselves, establish linkages and promote solidarity. We honor you, courageous and creative rural women of the world!

"...Women, and in particular rural women, are now demanding that their voices be heard and I will support them..."
Mary Robinson. High Commissioner for Human Rights

For further information, please contact the Coordinator of World Rural Women's Day at Women's World Summit Foundation (WWSF) P.O.Box 2001, 1211 Geneva 1, Switzerland Tel (41 22) 738.66.19 Fax (41 22) 738.82.48 Email: wwsf@iprolink.ch or the co-convenor, International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) 60 rue Saint-Lazare, 75009 Paris, France Tel 01 45 26 05 53 – Fax 01 48 74 72 12 Email 101476.3474@compuserve.com and consult our web site http://www.woman.ch

*The International Bill of Human Rights includes the Universal Declaration of (Human Rights (1948), the international Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (1976) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1976) and its Optional Protocol.

At the First Mayan Women's Congress held in Mexico, October 1997, sponsored by UNIFEM, Mayan women were offered an unprecedented opportunity for presenting their experiences and indigenous knowledge to policy makers and donors as part of an ongoing effort to enable 'economic empowerment' of the Mayan women. Similar congresses are underway in Belize, Guatemala and other states of Mexico.