TEHRAN – Declared by the UN General Assembly as World Rural Development Day, July 6 highlights the vital roles of rural communities in agricultural development, food security, and ecological stewardship, and calls for their empowerment through access to land, decent work, and inclusion in decision-making.

It reaffirms the General Assembly’s unwavering commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

This declaration, steeped in the spirit of international solidarity, acknowledges the deep-rooted challenge of rural poverty and the necessity of addressing it as a precondition for achieving the broader goals of economic, social, and environmental sustainability.

Drawing from a lineage of global declarations and resolutions—from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the Addis Ababa Action Agenda—the resolution seeks to shine a sustained light on the lives and struggles of those who till the soil, harvest the seas, and nurture the land in rural corners of the world.

At its heart, the resolution confronts the disproportionate burden of poverty, hunger, and exclusion borne by rural communities—especially by women, Indigenous Peoples, and youth—whose resilience is too often overlooked. 

By endorsing an integrated approach to rural development that embraces traditional knowledge, gender equity, and digital inclusion, the resolution envisions a future in which rural prosperity is no longer an elusive ideal but a shared global achievement.

The observance of World Rural Development Day, as outlined, is not intended as a mere ceremonial gesture but as a catalyst for meaningful action. Governments, civil society, international organizations, and academic institutions are invited to partake in the annual commemoration through concrete activities, policy dialogue, and grassroots initiatives. 

Rural Empowerment – Global Impact is a motto that highlights that empowering and strengthening rural communities will contribute to global goals like economic growth, sustainability, food security, and the eradication of poverty.

With a clear emphasis on voluntary contributions and locally driven strategies, the resolution entrusts this Day with the power to elevate rural voices, galvanize development efforts, and renew the world’s collective promise: to leave no one behind, not even in the most remote and forgotten places of the earth.

Rural development isn’t just about geography—it’s about poverty, equity, food security, and sustainability. Here’s why it matters: 80 percent of the world’s poorest people live in rural areas, earning less than $2.15/day.

More than one billion people face acute multidimensional poverty—over half are children (UNDP 2024). Half of rural populations lack health coverage (vs 22 percent in urban areas). Family farms produce 80 percent of the world’s food (FAO).
Women make up 43 percent of the agricultural workforce, yet face barriers to land, credit, and tech. Rural areas sit on the climate front line, enduring droughts, floods, and extreme heat. In 2024, 83 percent of urban residents used the internet versus 50 percent in rural areas. 

With fewer than five years remaining to realize the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals, the path ahead remains uncertain and fraught with fragility. In this narrowing window of opportunity, World Rural Development Day emerges as more than a date on the calendar—it is a global reckoning, a solemn pause to reflect and reorient. It calls upon the international community to ensure that rural communities, so often overlooked and underserved, are not merely remembered but placed firmly at the center of sustainable progress.

Empowering rural communities essential

In February, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, Zahra Behrouz-Azar, said empowering rural communities is a prerequisite for the economic and cultural development of the country.

Referring to the difference between the concept of village and local community, the official said, “The rural areas’ economic activities involve agriculture, animal husbandry, crafts, and natural resources.

However, the local community has a broader concept and includes different groups of people, not only in rural areas, but also in urban neighborhoods, nomadic areas, and even digital communities. Local communities rely on social interactions, traditions, beliefs, and shared human relationships.”

The official made the remarks via a video conference while addressing an event called “university, social responsibility, and empowering local areas”, Mehr news agency reported.

In villages, the development of agricultural infrastructure, animal husbandry, health, and education are basic needs, while in local communities, issues such as preserving culture, fostering social interactions, and strengthening support networks are significant.

Referring to the fact that only 30 percent of the country’s population resides in villages, Behrouz-Azar said depopulation of rural areas will result in losing a significant proportion of cultural heritage, art, language, and lifestyle.

The official went on to urge universities and educational centers to utilize their knowledge and modern technologies to address current challenges in rural communities, help boost their productivity, and improve the quality of life of farmers, particularly women farmers since they play a key role in empowering rural communities. 

Rural development

Villagers and nomads play a vital role in the political, economic, and social developments of Iran. So, October 7 was declared in 2013 as the National Day of Village and Nomads.

Despite their low population, they have a great contribution to all-out national development.

Although oil, industry, and service sectors hold a significant share of the national economy, the rural and nomadic economy is considered an inexhaustible source for the nation, compared to exhaustible natural resources.

Living far from pollution and current problems of cities and being less dependent on oil resources, they play a critical role in sustainable development.

Villagers and nomads take the lead in providing food, food security, and healthy food production.

They have a major role in the tourism and handicraft industry and they are sources of many cultures and traditions in the country playing an important role in ensuring the country’s security, especially in borders and remote areas.

Some 25 percent of the country’s population lives in villages, producing around 70 percent of food for the domestic market.

Currently, more than 90 percent of agricultural and food products are produced in villages. Some 25 percent of the country’s meat products and 35 percent of handicrafts, as well as a major part of organic dairy products, including vegetable oil, milk, curd, and other materials, are produced by nomads.

In fact, the economy of the rural areas is not limited to agriculture; it includes various industries such as handicrafts, creative industries, clothing, processing industries, food, medicinal plants, carpentry, furniture, tourism, ecotourism, fisheries, carpets and rugs, and dried fruits.

The Majlis (the Iranian Parliament) approved a total of 31 trillion rials (nearly 34 million dollars) for rural development in the budget bill for the Iranian calendar year 1401 (March 2022-March 2023), IRIB reported.

By allocating this amount of budget, the whole credit of comprehensive development plans will reach 42 trillion rials(almost 45 million dollars), Akbar Nikzad, head of the Housing Foundation, said in June 2022.

The comprehensive development plans aim to develop rural areas in line with cultural, economic, and social conditions, as well as housing provision for the rural residents and improving environmental service.

MT/MG