BUCHANAN, Grand Bassa – Rural women were urged to play a larger role in Liberia’s development at the three-day National Rural Women Conference in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County. The conference emphasized the need for more political representation and better agricultural training for women.

At the meeting, the president of the Rural Women of Liberia, Kebbeh Monger, said rural women are vital to the agricultural sector and require adequate training in order to manage farms, grow more food and profit from agricultural production.

Monger said that even women without formal education can play a role, saying, “We didn’t finish high school, but we are able to produce the rice people are eating around here.” She pleaded for more support from partners in order to build the capacities of rural women.

Over 100 women, mostly from rural parts of the country, attended the conference, which began March 4 and continues until March 6. The conference’s focus is on providing training on leadership and democratic representation, consultations on governance reforms, and expanding the structural support for rural women in agricultural production.

Sen. Jewel Howard Taylor addresses conference participants/Photo Credit: Lisa Diasay

Present at the conference was Bong County Sen. Jewel Howard Taylor, who said that increased food production is essential to Liberia’s growth.

Taylor also brought attention to the low representation of women in parliament. She said it was difficult for issues that affected women to gain traction in the Senate because there were only two women out of the 30 senators.

She encouraged attendees to ensure that the population of women increased in both houses in order to increase consideration of women’s issues. “We will be visiting the counties to tell you to vote [for a female] candidate come 2017, so our voices too can be heard,” Taylor said.

Minister of Gender Julia Cassel, who also attended, called on women to reflect on their achievements at the country level and move toward development. She said rural women must exert themselves in order to reach their goals. Referring to the increased representation of women at the national level since President Sirleaf’s election, she said, “We have the powers in our hands. Let’s use it [as assets] to society and not liabilities.”

Minister of Gender Julia Cassel speaks at the National Rural Women Conference/Photo Credit: Lisa Diasay

Liberia’s representative of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, Marc Abdala, was also present. He was there to promote the Joint Programme on Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment, a collaborative project between UNFAO and multiple government ministries.

Abdala said the JPRWEE was a great platform to bring women together to work toward empowerment. He said the conference underscores the relevance of rural development and the pivotal role of agriculture, especially for women, whom he said comprised over 70 percent of farmers.

According to a Ministry of Gender report, rural women are primarily market women and traders of agriculture goods. They contribute to more than 75 percent of all cash and food crop production. However, because 90 percent work in the informal sector or agriculture, they are at a risk of being exploited and paid low wages.