International Day of Rural Women sounds pretty cool. It’s every October 15, as declared by the United Nations.
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Rural women Primrose and Portia, friends from my South Africa trip. |
The problem is the U.N. page talks about “rural women” but they actually mean “rural women in developing countries.” That’s a pet peeve of mine: saying “rural” when you mean to say “in developing countries.”
Not that I lack respect for the rural women of developing regions. The rural women I’ve met in the developing world are exceptionally worthy of greater recognition and increased respect and opportunity. In my mind, rural women are the drivers of development and change in those regions.
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Rural woman Val Wagner, a friend from North Dakota |
My thought
Let’s take our own spin on this. The U.N. mentioned improving rural women’s “skills as producers, leaders and entrepreneurs.” I’m all for that, for all rural women.
Spend some time today supporting the rural women around you who are producers, leaders and entrepreneurs.
In fact, why not take a moment to honor one rural woman in the comments?
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I’d like to honor Val Plagge. Val is from Franklin County Iowa and farms with her husband Ian and her small son Klayton. Val and Ian farm over 3000 acres and bring the experience of family into this new age of farming by young people. Val also participates in our Partnership Meetings, Bloggers Tour, Make A Wish Foundation, Iowa Soybean Association (where she used to work), her local church and God knows what else. Last week Val called me on Thursday and said “want to ride in a combine?”. You know I said yes! Imagine my delight to ride in a tractor and combine bigger than the barn where my dad used to store his tractor. Ian was combining and Val was following along with the tractor (and Klayton strapped into his car seat in the cab with her) wagon.
Yeah for rural women!
Deb