Technology and Innovation for Rural Women's Economic Empowerment

This policy brief, “Technology and innovation for rural women’s economic empowerment”, is part of a series to present evidence from the strategies and praxis of the United Nations Joint Programme on Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (officially called “Accelerating Progress towards the Economic Empowerment of Rural Women” or “JP RWEE” in short form). Based on case studies, experiences and evaluations from the JP RWEE, the brief draws conclusions and makes recommendations to address the challenges and opportunities for advancing gender equality and rural women’s economic empowerment through increased access to and use of technology and innovation. This brief situates the experiences of the JP RWEE in the context of current policy debates and scholarship to highlight approaches to increase rural women’s access to and adoption of technology and innovation. It also identifies some of the challenges and gaps related to the integration of technology with the aim of informing international, national and local stakeholders’ formulation of evidence-based policies that build on the JP RWEE’s technology-related achievements and lessons learned
so far.