Woman with the Organization of Rural Women Workers protests Monsanto’s GMO seeds during a march in Curitiba, Brazil. Photo: Petermann (2006)
Note: For decades, rural women around the world have been on the front lines of the battles to stop the toxic and deadly impacts of both GMO monocultures and industrial tree plantations. Now, with the resurgence of the corporate effort to promote development of industrial plantations of genetically engineered (GE or genetically modified) trees in rural areas around the world, women are once again going to be forced to take a stand to stop this threat to their communities and the forests and ecosystems they depend on. Here in the United States, GE tree proponents are promoting the USDA deregulation of the genetically engineered American chestnut tree. If approved, this GE tree designed to be released into forests with no monitoring or oversight, would open the door to future approvals of GE trees designed for industrial tree plantations.
To stand up to the GE tree industry and take action to protect forests and communities around the world from the menace of GE tree visit https://stopgetrees.org/take-action/
On International Day of Rural Women celebrate women-led struggle for gender-justice
15 October 2020
October 15th marks International Day of Rural Women. Today, along with eight of our member groups, we are celebrating the role and invaluable contributions of women and girls all around the world towards protecting forests and biodiversity, producing healthy and sustainable food and providing for their families and communities.
However, rural women are still among the most vulnerable and marginalized groups, showing that there is much work to be done in the struggle for gender equality. As our member groups show, women are self-organizing to overcome these challenges, demand their rights and bridge the gender gap. At the same time, they are contributing to the well-being of their communities and the ecosystems they depend on, as well as the planet overall.
The photographs and descriptions below are a brief glimpse into the inspiring work that our member groups have been leading through the Women2030 programme. Over the past five years, Women2030 has worked with partners all over the world to build the capacity and strength of women’s rights organizations to advance local, national and regional gender-responsive sustainable development policies.
To view the full photo-essay from Global Forest Coalition click here.
