CGIAR Gender News

Economic empowerment of women in Rakhine

Rakhine women Photo: IRRI.

Agriculture offers great opportunities for enhancing the economic empowerment of women and building their resilience to climatic stresses.

A multi‐pronged approach is needed, focused on building the capacities of women individually and collectively, expanding opportunities of employment and entrepreneurship along rice value chains, and ensuring services and inputs that would contribute to diversification of their livelihood base and fortify economic empowerment.

From July 2018 to March 2019, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), funded by UN Women and in collaboration with the Myanmar Ministry of Agriculture and other partners, implemented the project ‘Inclusive Development and Empowerment of Women in Rakhine State in Myanmar.’

The project covered 4 townships, namely Mrauk U, Pauktaw, Ponnagyun, and Sittwe, with the goal of contributing to the enhancement of livelihood security of women, and economically empowering them to contribute to community resilience and inclusive development.