Reading List: International Day of Rural Women

The 15th of October, International #RuralWomen’s Day, is a day to recognise, celebrate and make visible the lives and political actions of rural, peasant and indigenous women. They are the ones who are on the frontline with their body-territories – not only reproducing, but also defending life and the commons against extractivist encroachment and colonisation of our territories through agroecology, seed saving, protecting and preserving the ancestral knowledge of the peoples of the Global South.

Despite representing more than a quarter of the world’s population, rural women: have little access to land – only 2% of land is owned by them (Korol.C, 20126); are under-represented in local and national governance mechanisms and institutions (United Nations, 2018); often have less voice in households and society at large (UN, 2018); and are most affected by poverty, exclusion and the climate crisis(UN WOMEN, 2018).

In the face of this unequal and unjust context, today is a day to make visible, celebrate and honour the struggles and actions for the reproduction and care of life that rural, peasant, Indigenous and agricultural women carry out to sustain life and build a feminist future. “Recovering the experiences and knowledge of women in agriculture is a way to contribute to effectively overcoming the food, energy, climate, social and political crises in which we are immersed.” (Korol. C, p.176)

Here is a list of resources (readings, videos and podcasts) on the reality of rural women in the Global South, their actions of struggle and resistance, and their proposals and alternatives for a sustainable way of life.

All resources are authored by Global South feminists and are organised by language – Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish-. If you would like to access a more extensive list of resources on the topic or other feminist productions you can visit the South Feminist Knowledge Hub here. We invite you to send us any other resources that should be included in this reading list by filling out this form or emailing us at knowledgehub@southfeministfutures.org

References:

United Nations. (2018). Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls. https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/CSW/62/CSW-Conclusions-62-EN.PDF

UN Women. (2018). International Day of Rural Women 2018. https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2018/10/announcer-international-day-for-rural-women-2018

English

Improving Rural Women’s Access to Productive Resources: Are the Low Hanging Fruits Too Low to Make a Difference?, Faustina Obeng Adomaa

Gendered Terms of Incorporation and Exclusion in Rural Mozambique: Unpacking Pre-existing Inequalities and Mechanisms of Compensation, Natacha Bruna

When a good business model is not enough: Land transactions and gendered livelihood prospects in rural Ghana, Dzodzi Tsikata

Decolonial Feminisms, Power and Place Sentipensando with Rural Women in Colombia, Laura Rodríguez Castro

Women and Land Ownership in Zimbabwe: A Review of the Land Reforms with Particular Focus on the Fast Track Land Reform Programme, Petronella Munemo, Joseph Manzvera, and Innocent Agbelie

Challenging Gender Orders? Small Ruminant Husbandry Interventions in Ghana’s Upper West Region , Patricia Abena Tawiah Aboe, Akua Opokua Britwum, and Ernest L. Okorle

Gender in Agrarian Transitions, Dzodzi Tsikata, Archana Prasad, Paris Yeros

What is Climate Coloniality?, Farhana Sultana

Peasants’ Dignified: Lives and Livelihoods, La Via Campesina

Women, land and livelihoods in South Africa’s land reform programme, Liepollo Lebohang Pheko

Social Reproduction and the Agrarian Question of Women’s Labour in India, Lyn Ossome