Imagine a world where vast stretches of fertile land transform into desolate wastelands, where once vibrant ecosystems surrender to decay, and where the essential resources that support life diminish right in front of us. This alarming reality is becoming increasingly familiar as land degradation and desertification arise as urgent environmental challenges demanding our immediate attention.
Land degradation results from a combination of factors, including extreme weather conditions, particularly drought. It is exacerbated by human activities that contaminate or degrade the quality of soils and land functionality. This detrimental process has adverse impacts on food production, livelihoods, as well as the generation and accessibility of other ecosystem benefits and services. Consequently, many residents of arid regions will be compelled to abandon their homes, becoming climate refugees.
Projections suggest that by 2050, approximately 700 million people could be displaced due to climate change, land degradation, and related factors. Over 2 billion hectares of land have already undergone degradation, and this figure continues to rise.
It is our collective responsibility to take action now. On the occasion of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, we pay tribute to the crucial role that women play in land management, in line with the 2023 theme "Her Land. Her Rights."
The Equator Initiative within the United Nations Development Programme places great importance on empowering women to participate and lead in this field. This approach not only fosters environmental sustainability but also drives social and economic development within their communities.
By equipping women with financial and technical resources to restore degraded lands and develop small-scale enterprises, Integrated Development in Focus, a 2014 Equator Prize winner from Ghana, is improving crop yields and local incomes. Women's groups train in organic farming techniques and get support to access new and more lucrative markets for their produce. Growth is ensured through a model whereby each woman who receives training is responsible for training five other women as a condition of support. The initiative empowers female farmers by providing them with knowledge, skills and diverse sources of income. This has built self-reliance and social capital amongst the women farmers and created a mutual support network that has strengthened their communities.
Providing space for women to co-create their own development solutions and connect with like-minded women and organizations is of utmost importance. These connections not only empower women individually but also create a collective force for change, as they collaborate and support one another in implementing innovative solutions.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog, a leading grassroots organization established in 1998 and based in Pune, India, provides training on low-input sustainable farming techniques and empowers 72,000 women in the drought-prone state of Maharashtra to act as decision-makers, improving food security, increasing climate resilience and reducing stress on water resources in the region. By providing a platform for local women to form connections and collaborate in designing their own development solutions, the initiative enables the dissemination of their knowledge and expertise within a broader network. This fosters a powerful mechanism for driving sustainable change on a widespread scale.
Undoubtedly, women have a profound connection to the land, often serving as primary caregivers for their families and communities.
They possess invaluable traditional knowledge and practices that contribute to sustainable land use and conservation efforts. Yet Indigenous and rural women often face unique struggles, including limited access to legal resources, cultural biases and patriarchal systems that undermine their authority. Moreover, inter-tribal conflicts inevitably affect the economic, social and psychological well-being of women.
An example of such conflicts can be seen among the Borena and Gabra pastoral tribes from Southern Ethiopia and Northern Kenya, who have long been engaged in conflicts over pasture land, water and natural resources due to extreme weather conditions and droughts. These conflicts have resulted in traumatic experiences for women, including sexual violence and the loss of partners or family members. Furthermore, women have been marginalized and excluded from the decision-making processes.
The Oromia Pastoralist Association (OPA) has taken steps to address these challenges. Through its peace-building initiatives, women have gained unrestricted access to previously inaccessible areas like marketplaces, water points and grazing pastures. This newfound access enabled women to engage in economic activities and improve the financial stability of their families. OPA has also encouraged women's participation in community dialogues, discussions, peacebuilding initiatives and decision-making processes.
By involving and empowering women and local communities with secure land tenure and equal rights, we unlock their immense potential as agents of change.
Another outstanding example is Association Tchadienne des Volontaires pour la Protection de l’Environnement (ATVPE), an environmental education and social development NGO based in N'Djamena, Chad and a 2014 Equator Prize winner. Through their negotiating process to secure land access for women, ATVPE has brought about transformative changes in the lives of thousands of women in Chad. By ensuring secure land tenure and equal rights, women can actively participate in land management, conservation and restoration efforts. This has resulted in remarkable improvements in village food security and increased involvement of women as active contributors to their communities. With the ability to access and control land resources. women have gained greater means to afford school fees and health care, thereby improving the well-being of their children and families.
Another Equator Prize winner, Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) from Palestine, prioritizes women's empowerment and gender mainstreaming as a crucial aspect across all its programmes. The organization works towards creating an environment where women can actively participate and engage on an equal basis with men.
Women comprise roughly half of the Palestinian population. However, their participation in the formal labour market remains low. UAWC is actively working to address this issue through gender mainstreaming. Every stage of its activities, from design to implementation and evaluation, takes into account the needs and priorities of women in the target communities. UAWC recognizes that a so-called "neutral" approach is insufficient to address the specific challenges women face. Through their strategy, UAWC aims to promote equity by facilitating equal access to opportunities and fostering the development of essential capacities.
To sum up, land degradation not only threatens ecosystems and essential resources but also has profound socio-economic consequences, including food insecurity, loss of livelihoods, and displacement. Women's empowerment plays a crucial role in addressing this environmental challenge. With secure land tenure, equal rights and access to resources, women can actively participate in land management, restoration and conservation efforts. Their involvement leads to improved food security, enhanced community resilience and the promotion of sustainable practices.
As women are empowered, they become advocates for change, actively championing environmental causes and sustainable land management practices. They act as educators, passing on their valuable knowledge and wisdom to future generations and ensuring the preservation of traditional practices. Ultimately, by empowering women, we create a powerful force for environmental protection and sustainable land stewardship, ensuring a more sustainable future.
© 2026 United Nations Development Programme
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)