On the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women, observed annually on the 15th of October, the National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) expresses its pride and appreciation for the role of rural women in Jordan and the outstanding efforts they exert in enhancing food security, supporting sustainable development, caring for local communities, and adapting to climate change.
In this context, rural women have enjoyed constitutional protection since the Jordanian Constitution and its amendments of 1952, which in Article 6 stipulates equality and non-discrimination. The Constitution guarantees the empowerment of women and their support to play an active role in building society, ensuring equal opportunities on the basis of justice and fairness, and protecting them from all forms of violence and discrimination. Jordan has also ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and published it in the Official Gazette in 2007 without reservation to Article (14), which affirms the respect and implementation of the rights of rural women, including participation in the formulation and implementation of development planning, access to agricultural credit and loans, marketing facilities, appropriate technologies, equal treatment in land reform and agricultural reform projects, and the enjoyment of adequate living conditions.
The Centre also highlights the efforts made through the issuance of the Agricultural Workers Regulation No. (19) of 2021, the issuance of inspection procedure instructions for the agricultural sector, and the enactment of the Agricultural Risk Reduction Solidarity Fund Law No. (5) of 2025, which aims to achieve solidarity and cooperation among farmers and fund participants in addressing agricultural risks and mitigating their effects. These steps are expected to have a positive impact on the rights of women working in the agricultural sector.
Within the same framework, the Centre monitored the situation of female workers in the agricultural sector in Mafraq and the Northern and Central Jordan Valley. It noted that rural women face several challenges, including limited access to agricultural resources, weak representation in decision-making, unequal opportunities in education and training, vulnerability to climate change, a lack of basic services, poor adherence to occupational safety and health standards, and failure to implement the 2021 Agricultural Workers Regulation in relation to annual, sick, and maternity leave, women’s inclusion in social security, compliance with the minimum wage, and weak inspection mechanisms for agricultural employers to ensure enforcement of the regulation’s provisions. In addition, transportation means often do not meet safety standards for transferring female agricultural workers to and from farms.
Accordingly, the Centre calls on all relevant stakeholders—governmental and non-governmental institutions, the business sector, and local communities—to intensify efforts to support and empower rural women in Jordan, ensuring they have suitable opportunities to actively contribute to all aspects of life and leaving no woman behind.
The Centre also calls for the promotion of rural women’s participation in local committees, community councils, and decision-making processes at the governorate and village levels. It stresses the need to facilitate access to productive resources and ensure that female farmers obtain interest-free, easily accessible loans with flexible conditions suitable to rural realities. Moreover, the Centre emphasizes the importance of providing training programs and capacity-building opportunities through specialized programs in sustainable agriculture, small project management, marketing, home-based food production, and traditional crafts, as well as supporting technologies that improve productivity and reduce operating costs, such as hydroponics, precision agriculture, and renewable energy.
The Centre further stresses the importance of enforcing the Agricultural Workers Regulation of 2021 and adopting appropriate employment contracts for female agricultural workers that reflect their working conditions and protect their rights regarding working hours, wages, leave, social and health insurance, and their rights during pregnancy and breastfeeding hours. It also calls for flexible agricultural insurance programs for women workers to address losses caused by drought, climate change, and other factors, and for strengthening measures to deal with water scarcity. The Centre urges the adoption of public policies that respond to climate challenges faced by rural communities and stricter oversight by relevant authorities to ensure compliance with occupational safety and health standards, including the provision of first aid, protective shoes, masks, and gloves that shield women from harsh working conditions and guarantee their right to physical safety.
