2024 Report on Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation highlights women’s innovation and entrepreneurship

Han Yan, assistant FAO representative, FAO Representation in China, delivers remarks at the International Forum on Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation - 3rd Event.

“The 2023 FAO report titled ‘The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems’ highlights that globally, 36% of working women and 38% of working men are employed in agrifood systems,” observed Han Yan, assistant representative of the FAO Representation in China. “Women are a vital force in agricultural and rural development, yet still face barriers and challenges with unequal access to resources, services, decent employment and markets. China’s innovative efforts in leveraging agricultural science and technology to empower women have made significant contributions to achieving the global goals, including poverty eradication and hunger elimination.”

The forum also saw the release of a significant document titled “2024 Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation Thematic Report: HER Power, HER Stories.” This report was a collaborative effort by the FAO Representation in China, the IFAD China Office, the ESCAP-CSAM, the UNDP in China, and the CIIC. The report delineates various challenges encountered in empowering rural women through science and technology and indicates that China has created an effective institutional environment that facilitates women’s active participation in agricultural development and that this is a primary factor that enables technology to empower Chinese women.

“By showcasing women’s leadership and contributions in female role models in science and technology, the report emphasizes the transformative power women hold in driving rural development,” noted Siddharth Chatterjee. “As more young girls pursue STEM degrees and more women take on leadership roles in fields like artificial intelligence, data, and IT, and science and technology, the sector will increasingly champion gender equality. These shifts will lead to profound changes across both the social and economic dimensions.”

“‘HER Power, HER Stories’ provides a glimpse of the future by demonstrating what some women today have already achieved in agriculture,” Robert Walker, British Academy of Social Sciences fellow and Jingshi Academy at Beijing Normal University foreign professor, commented. “Seventeen case studies introduce women who have embraced new technologies to realize their dreams in creating sustainable agriculture enterprises. Their success reminds us that traditional attitudes and power structures still inhibit the technological advance of millions of women worldwide.”