In the village of Kyzart in Naryn Province, Kyrgyzstan, little was known about the transformative power of vegetable farming. A simple change to the diets of rural households—a smidge of horticulture added to the carbohydrate- and protein-intensive diets—has resulted from the determined farming efforts of self-help groups of rural women. Testimonies of how balanced diets are positively impacting the health of household members, and consequently household savings as the burden of medical expenses is reduced, are now commonplace in a region known for cold winters that have traditionally rendered many forms of agriculture impossible. Today, greenhouses, which provide farmers resilience against the region’s extreme weather, enable the rural women of Kyzart to grow nutritious vegetables that complement high carbohydrate- and protein-based diets all year round for their families as well as for sale at the market.

The rural women’s success story in Kyzart, however, is not an isolated phenomenon. It resonates with those of other rural women exposed to harsh climatic conditions in other parts of the world. From Nepal, where rural women farmers’ protection from hot weather is attained through the construction and use of storage facilities that prevent food loss, to Niger, where rural women’s Dimitra Clubs employ technologies that help save time critical for water collection in increasingly arid climatic conditions, rural women’s agency in climate resilience is yielding results for sustainable livelihoods. By accessing equal economic opportunities, rural women around the world are securing a sustainable future for their children, families and communities, which is crucial in a world continuously affected by climate change.

There is a growing recognition of the potential for gender equality and women’s empowerment to produce social, economic and climate-resilience benefits.

The impacts of climate change on rural industries disproportionately affect the well-being of women living in rural areas and can compromise their potential to contribute towards sustainable development. The 2019 report of the Secretary-General, “Improvement of the situation of women and girls in rural areas,”1 prepared for the seventy-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly, showcases the evidence of how climate change especially impacts rural agriculture. This is an industry which, by employing at least one third of all women globally, is undoubtedly the largest occupation of rural women besides household care and domestic work. As such, the corresponding need for rural women farmers to employ climate-resilient agricultural technologies for household food security becomes an economic constraint which, when addressed, has been seen to elevate the financial and, sometimes, physiological costs incurred by many of them. Importantly, rural—including indigenous—women play a pivotal role in the three components of food security: food production, distribution and utilization. To achieve these as producers, farmers and cooperatives, women are increasingly adopting sustainable ancestral, indigenous and modern technological practices, responding to climate variability and frequent climate shocks. Furthermore, empowered rural women play important roles in adopting low-carbon technologies, spreading knowledge about climate change, and urging governments and businesses to take action. Read furtehr form the source..