Farm women in Iran constitute half of the agricultural workforce and play a significant role in producing ٥٠ percent of the country's food. However, this group faces many challenges, including a lack of credit and human resources. Recently, the United Nations designated ٢٠٢٦ as the International Year of Farm Women to draw more attention to the importance of this issue.
The Vital Role of Farm Women in Sustainable Development
Maryam Tahmasbi, former director of the Rural and Nomadic Women's Agricultural Development Office at the Ministry of Jihad Agriculture, emphasizes that farm women around the world, especially in Iran, are not seen enough. This designation by the United Nations means to attract more attention to farm women, and its goal is to develop empowerment programs, provide more training, and create supportive media for these women.
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Challenges and Opportunities
Tahmasbi points out that statistics show ٦٨ percent of global work is done by women, but only ١٠ percent of the world's assets are allocated to them. This reality reflects existing inequalities. Although farm women play a significant role in providing food for society, they face minimum wages in return. She also mentioned the limited resources and facilities for providing services to these women and noted that this requires a national determination for the development of women's agriculture.
In this regard, Iran is one of the few countries that has a specialized office to address the issues of rural and farm women. Tahmasbi emphasizes that this structure can help non-rural and non-nomadic women benefit from existing capacities. However, to achieve desirable results, there is a need for accurate and up-to-date statistics and information.
A detailed analysis of official and unofficial statistics can help in effective planning and reducing inequalities in women's agriculture. Tahmasbi emphasizes that updating statistics at specific time intervals is essential to achieve comprehensive and efficient planning.
Since farm women play a crucial role in providing food for society and protecting the environment, paying attention to their issues and challenges not only helps social justice but also has a positive impact on the country's sustainable development. In this path, creating festivals and global movements can help amplify the voices of these women and draw public attention to their issues.
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