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Investing in women's digital empowerment can foster prosperity not just for them, but for entire communities. These three remarkable rural women revitalizing their villages in rural China are living proof of this.

“Equal opportunities and rights for rural women are essential for building more prosperous and inclusive societies capable of tackling global challenges such as climate change and food insecurity. Without gender equity, there will be no sustainable development,” declared IFAD.  

On this episode, Indigenous leaders from Nepal, Mexico and Kenya weigh in on what it means to protect the planet while preserving their cultures, and fighting for the right to land, nutrition and education.

To mark International Women's Day, we explore how gender inequality and gender-based violence can be overcome to build inclusive, sustainable food systems. From El Salvador to Malawi, hear about how rural women are driving climate adaptation and transforming agriculture – and the world – for the better.

Investing in women is the surest way to prosperity – and a world without hunger. That’s why IFAD invests in women. They’re the smartest investment in a sustainable future.

Investing in gender equality and women’s empowerment is not only more urgent than ever but also an incredibly smart investment to generate economic growth, food security, income opportunities and better lives, particularly in rural areas where most of the world’s poorest live. That will be the message tomorrow on International Women’s Day from leaders at the Rome-based United Nations agriculture and food agencies event - Invest in Women: accelerate progress.

Visit the five inspiring winners of this year’s Gender Awards and find out how they’re addressing the harmful practices, social norms and economic disparities that keep women from achieving their potential.

Growing food is a challenge in the harsh desert landscape of northwestern China. But thanks to new greenhouses built by a local cooperative, this village is bursting with fruits, vegetables and mushrooms.

For countless people in IFAD-supported projects, 2023 was a year in which their lives changed. Here are some of the stories we told over the past 12 months.  

In the face of escalating climate change impacts on vulnerable rural populations globally, Alvaro Lario, the President of IFAD, emphasized today that promoting gender equality in rural communities is essential to climate change adaptation, with women acting as powerful catalysts of change.

Rural women are at the heart of agriculture – yet they’ve less resources, time and decision-making power than men. So how does IFAD combat gender inequality in rural communities?

West and Central Africa is as intricate as it is vast. We sat down with Regional Director, Bernard Mwinyel Hien, to better understand the region’s strengths and challenges.

On International Rural Women's Day, we recognise the tremendous strength of rural women and girls across the globe. These women and girls, the backbone of our rural communities, are not just farmers, entrepreneurs, and caregivers; they are the very heartbeat of the land they nurture and the families they sustain.

In celebration of Rural Women's Day on 15 October, IFAD has collaborated with the Grammy-winning Soweto Gospel Choir (SGC) to launch the #Sing4RuralWomen social media challenge. Through a new song composed by IFAD’s Carlo Ladd, and interpreted by SGC, this initiative aims to celebrate the pivotal role played by rural women worldwide and raise awareness through music and dance on social media.

Women are the driving force behind rural communities, yet they have less resources, time and decision-making power than men. Join us and Soweto Gospel Choir and sing for rural women so more people can hear why they matter.

When rural women access finance, the entire world flourishes. Find out how financially empowered women are leading the fight against climate change, achieving sustainable development and ensuring food security for their communities and the planet.

All over the world rural women face numerous challenges that men do not. Find out how an IFAD-funded project in Türkiye is providing them with the tools to lift themselves out of poverty and thrive.

Meet IFAD’s new Vice-President. Gerardine Mukeshimana discusses the importance of investing in rural communities, climate change adaptation and giving women access to resources.

Poverty is both a symptom and a driver of conflict. That’s why IFAD supports the poorest and most marginalized people as they contribute to a more peaceful world where everyone can access dignified work that fosters shared economic prosperity.

As countries meet to evaluate how much progress has been made towards the Sustainable Development Goals, find out more about these 17 objectives and why they’re important for the rural communities we work with.

Meet the rural women who are tending to livestock while earning a living and empowering themselves.

IFAD applies the latest tools and technologies to support small-scale farmers. Here are six examples of innovations proven to work for rural communities all over the world.

Hayet has a university degree but, like one third of young rural women in Tunisia, she could not find a job and had no means of earning an income.

Meet the woman who fought for her right to land ownership and contributed to halting drought and desertification.

Remittances are a lifeline for rural communities all over the world, here’s why we should continue to invest in digital transfers.

In an age of multiple intersecting crises, only a holistic approach to both humanitarian and development assistance can disrupt the cycle.

To transform rural lives we must build a strong understanding of the countries we operate in. Find out how IFAD is doing just that in South Sudan.

Find out what happens behind the scenes of an IFAD project as we answer our followers’ top questions.

After 40 years working with rural people, here are some of the things we have learned to make our work under IFAD13 a success.

Meet the women using digital tools to build successful businesses and stronger communities.

Inclusive access to digital technologies and education is crucial to reducing gender inequalities and empowering rural women and girls – that was the message from three United Nations’ food and agriculture agencies as they marked International Women’s Day 2023.

Many rural women are excluded from digital services. What is causing the digital divide and what can we do to end it?

In Pakistan and Bangladesh women are harnessing technology to connect to the world and build a business, one click at a time.

Le FIDA et le Conseil national de concertation et de coopération des ruraux (CNCR) du Sénégal, viennent de signer un Accord de don pour améliorer les revenus des femmes et des jeunes entrepreneurs avicoles villageois ayant subi les conséquences des mesures restrictives prises pour faire face à la pandémie de Covid19.

In Ethiopia, community driven development puts small-scale farmers in charge of identifying what they need to prosper and how development funding should be used.

In rural Tunisia women are breaking free of gender norms and building successful businesses to provide for their families.

As we near the end of 2022, IFAD looks back on some of the themes that defined a year of dramatic change.

In rural Rwanda, solar-powered irrigation gives women farmers a sustainable alternative to time-consuming and expensive manual and diesel-powered systems.

Violence against women is one of the greatest barriers to sustainable development. On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, let's reaffirm commitments to eliminate and prevent gender-based violence.  

Small-scale farmers hold the key to feeding the world, its important for them to trust and invest in different types of irrigation systems.

Even when a world without poverty seems out of reach, here’s how IFAD continues to work in developing countries, amplifying the voices of rural people and integrating them into value chains, so they can earn and save, while feeding the world and conserving the natural environment.

There is no solution to climate change without rural women. It’s time to invest in them. It’s time to let them lead the way.

As the world faces a myriad of crises, experts fear that the progress rural women and girls have worked so hard for may be reversed. Here is how IFAD is working to prevent this.

Climate change, commercial agribusiness, and societal norms threaten small-scale farmers’ way of life in a small village in Sudan. A women’s savings and credit group is changing this.

Sub-Saharan Africa’s drylands – that is, the areas where more water is lost through evaporation than gained through rainfall – are facing widespread degradation. There are many factors causing this, but one of the most prominent is the use of agricultural practices that aren’t adapted to the land, such as overgrazing and intensive agriculture.

When Fatima-Zohra first arrived in her new home, a rural village in the Moroccan highlands, she discovered the local women didn’t have many job opportunities. But they were enthusiastic about the idea of going into business for themselves – and so Fatima-Zohra got to work.

The Vice President of IFAD, Dominik Ziller, will meet with Edouard Ngirente, Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda, as well as other high-level government officials during a visit starting 9 May.

This episode is all about closing the social justice gap in rural communities and developing countries.

Sustainable development can only be achieved with the contributions of rural women, yet they face many challenges. Let’s meet three women who have transformed their lives with the help of the JP RWEE initiative.

Four United Nations agencies today announced the forthcoming launch of a new phase of a joint programme that aims to secure rural women’s livelihoods, rights and resilience to advance sustainable development.