Rural women help preserve biodiversity

As the world celebrates International Women’s Day on 8 March, we should not forget the role rural women in developing countries play in preserving biodiversity and genetic plant resources.

Poor countries often have abundant supplies of genetic plant resources. It’s important to ensure that they are not unfairly exploited.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, “Genetic resources for food and agriculture are the raw materials upon which the world relies to improve the productivity and quality of crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries, as well as to maintain healthy populations of wild species.”

In the developing world, women are often the main custodians of these resources; they are seed savers; they protect, cultivate and use these resources in their daily lives.

Furthermore, they tend to be the guardians of traditional knowledge associated with these dwindling genetic resources. “Time is running out to preserve these resources. We have not explored even half of Africa’s genetic resources,” says ecosystems expert Mohamed Sessay.

The Nagoya Protocol, part of the Convention on Biological Diversity, provides a mechanism to ensure that monetary and non-monetary benefits from the utilization of genetic resources are shared fairly to support continued resource conservation and sustainable use.

Men and women in rural settings in developing countries have different roles and priorities. For instance, women are more likely to prioritize a varied diet for their children, and treat family members with “free” and easily accessible herbal medicines when they fall sick. Men tend to be more focused on cash and non-food crops.

Using herbal medicines reduces costs for health services, and saves on drug imports.

Biodiversity conservation

According to a 2013 UN Environment publication, Biodiversity for the well-being of women, “women provide almost 80 per cent of the total wild vegetable food collected in 135 different subsistence-based societies. Up to 80 per cent of the population in many developing countries relies on traditional medicine. Women often have a more specialized knowledge of various local and neglected species.”

“Women play an important role in conserving biodiversity, due to their important role in household activities, and the influence they have on their children, by teaching them about the importance of nature and conserving biodiversity,” said Onlathai Vilaisith, a representative of the Women’s Union in Lao Peoples Democratic Republic. She was speaking at a UN Environment-sponsored meeting in February on incorporating gender considerations into the implementation of National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plans (NBSAPs).

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