Contents:
1. World Rural Women's Day Celebration at CIAT HQ, October 15, 2010.
2. "The world is Fed on the Backs of Rural Women" an article by Kanayo F. Nwanze, IFAD President.
3. Upcoming ILRI Workshop on Gender and Market-Oriented Agriculture, 31 Jan-2 Feb 2011.
4. Microcredit's for Women in Latin America: "Pro Mujer.org".
5. Upcoming Events

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) joined this celebration and shared the experience of Farmer Field Schools and Productive Home Gardens currently carried out in the Department of Antioquia, which is based on an integrated approach to the fight against hunger. PRGA invited a group of rural women entrepreneurs from the Cauca and Cauca Valley Departments to participate and exhibit their products during this colorful and lively event..

Read more (English): http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/Newsroom/news/Pages/world_food_day.aspx

Read more (Spanish): Celebracion Dia Internacional de la Mujer Rural.pdf

2. The world is fed on the backs of rural women an article by Kanayo F. Nwanze, IFAD President.

By Kanayo F. Nwanze, IFAD President:

In developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, women typically work 12-13 more hours per week than men. In Africa, women provide the bulk of the labour required to produce basic food crops. One half of all smallholder farmers are women and they need our support to feed the 2bn people who depend on the world's 500m smallholder farms. The advancement of women is an essential prerequisite to overall development. Yet, in spite of strong evidence showing the link between gender inequality and poverty, women throughout the world continue to have significantly less access to assets, services and decision-making than men. In many of the poorest countries, there is still an unacceptably wide gap between what women do and what they have. And if we do not close this gap, we risk keeping the more than 1bn hungry people - one out of every six people - struggling to feed themselves.

Read more (English): http://ifad-un.blogspot.com/2010/09/world-is-fed-on-backs-of-rural-women.html

3. Upcoming ILRI Workshop on Gender and Market-Oriented Agriculture, (31 January - 2 February, 2011).

The workshop is organized by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and its Improving Productivity and Market Success of Ethiopia farmers project (IPMS). The workshop will bring together researchers, agriculture development practitioners, donors and policymakers working in Africa and other regions to give women greater access to markets and value chains. The global dialogue will have a focus on East Africa, but will bring in relevant experiences from elsewhere in the world.

More information: http://agrigender.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/agrigender1010/

4. Microcredit's for Women in Latin America: "Pro Mujer.org"

Pro Mujer is an international women's development and microfinance organization, whose mission is to provide Latin America's poor women with the means to build livelihoods for them and better future for their families through microfinance, business training, and healthcare support.

More information: https://promujer.org/