The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has said that, with support from the European Union, it has helped rural women increase food production and expand their home-based businesses.
Marking the International Day of Rural Women, the agency said that through training and equipment, these women had been able to improve their products and gain access to more markets.
UNDP added that a lack of equipment, limited access to markets and insufficient knowledge of business practices had been among the main barriers to expanding these women’s businesses.
The agency said that, under the Afghanistan Community Resilience Programme (ACRP), it had helped women improve product quality, packaging and marketing, with support from the European Union and in cooperation with the United Nations.
According to UNDP, rural women’s businesses not only create employment opportunities for women but also support local farmers.
However, the lack of reliable electricity, cold-storage facilities and access to financial resources remains a challenge for these businesses.
In recent years, amid widespread restrictions on women’s work at many government institutions, aid agencies and international organizations, some women have turned to private businesses to meet their families’ needs.
