According to UN data, women represent 40% of the agricultural labor force in developing countries and despite this, women today continue to face obstacles of inequality and blockages in their participation in decision-making in agrarian groups.
Recognizing the importance of his figure and role in the economic development of the various communities and his consequent contribution to the eradication of poverty, the social program Supérate, through its project Family agricultureworks to empower dozens of Dominican women and heads of household, providing them with the necessary techniques and tools so that the fruit of their work in the field also translates into benefits and the improvement of the lifestyle of their families and their communities.
Until today, according to the statement, 165 women are part of the Supérate project that contributes to the food safety, nutrition and healthy eating behaviors; in addition to promoting productive practices and activities to reduce the risk of malnutrition, improve the quality of life and sustainable rural development.
“Rural women face significant discrimination in land and livestock ownership, equal pay, participation in decision-making bodies, and access to credit and financial services. For this reason, our commitment to guarantee public policies that promote equal opportunities for rural women and support them in creating capacities that allow them to create sustainable income to achieve autonomy, overcome poverty and marginalization, while contributing to the development of the local economy,” said Gloria Reyes, general director of Supérate, through a statement from the institution.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports that women reinvest up to 90% of their earnings in their homes, money that goes to nutrition, food, medical care, school and income-generating activities, helping to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
This is why, through its various projects, the social program under the direction of Gloria Reyes bets on women; she believes in her leadership, in her strength and in her transforming power for society, says the document released by Supérate today, October 15, International Day of Rural Women.
For this reason, part of Supérate’s strategy is to continue strengthening and joining efforts so that thousands of women in conditions of vulnerability are the protagonists of their own change. So that, with support and accompaniment, they take a step outside the social protection of the State and become leaders who contribute to the positive dynamism of their communities.
In this sense, Supérate, as the main strategy of the government in the fight against poverty, recently joined the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development (MEPyD), with the aim of promoting cooperativism and training small producers and producers with high levels of poverty. multidimensional and monetary, through the Prorural project.
Some 14,970 families will be impacted by the project and of this number, Supérate has the task of supporting 1,950 farmers who lack land, ensuring that 50% of the beneficiaries are women.
“We have the particular role of working with young women without land, with the aim of creating opportunities for them,” said Reyes during the signing of the alliance.
And it is that: “The FAO has already affirmed it; if farmers had the same access to resources as men, the number of hungry people in the world could be reduced by up to 150 million, thanks to increases in productivity.”
For this reason, according to the statement, the Supérate Program applauds the participating women from the provinces of Duarte, Montecristi, Dajabón, Valverde, Elías Piña, Puerto Plata, Azua, Barahona, San Juan, Bahoruco, Santiago Rodríguez, La Altagracia, El Seibo, Monte Plata, María Trinidad Sánchez, Pedernales, Independencia and La Vega; who get up every day with enthusiasm and hope to cultivate the land and contribute with their sweat to the cause of reducing hunger and poverty of rural families.
As a result of the recent alliance, they will be joined by others who will also have access to training and productivity stimulation. “We are going to consolidate a cooperative structure aimed at boosting the economy, diversifying household income sources and strengthening the financial autonomy of rural communities,” Reyes said.
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In the Dominican Republic, on March 7, 1997, Law 5879 was reformed, giving equal rights to men and women of Agrarian Reform, this was a great achievement in the struggle for gender equality.
The 165 women included in the Supérate Family Farming project are dedicated to growing lettuce, strawberries, onions, tomatoes, peppers, celery, recaíto, potatoes, leeks, among other products that support their families and in some cases are marketed in the same community and outside it.
