00:09 Hi everyone,
00:10 I'm Tatyana Pruskurikova,
00:11 the World Bank director for Central Asia.
00:13 I would like to share with you a few examples from Central Asia of inspiring women
00:18 who,
00:18 with a little help from a World Bank financed project,
00:21 flourished in their field and contributed
00:24 to their country's economic development.
00:26 Let's first meet Shiri Gul from Tajikistan.
00:30 Like many farmers in Tajikistan,
00:31 Shirinul struggled to grow her business.
00:34 Not least because of limited access to finance,
00:36 but thanks to a World Bank financed agricultural project,
00:40 she received a matching grant for her loan.
00:42 Shiriul was then able to build and equip
00:44 a greenhouse and hire others from her community,
00:47 including women
00:48 and young people.
00:59 Shiri is one of 1300 women who have received grants through this project.
01:12 In neighboring Uzbekistan,
01:14 Yulia swapped her familiar city life for livestock farming
01:18 to produce meat and dairy products for her local market.
01:21 In 2019,
01:22 she received a concessional loan through a World Bank financed
01:25 project helping develop the livestock sector across the country.
01:29 Yule invested these funds in purchasing pedigree cattle from Europe,
01:33 and agricultural.
01:34 Equipment for farm
01:49 Today Yulia owns around 700 heads of cattle.
01:52 She is planning to expand her business which will contribute to Uzbekistan.
01:56 And food security and create new jobs for local communities.
01:59 These are just a few examples of positive impact that
02:02 focused interventions can have on the lives of women.
02:05 We are committed to continuing our work to
02:07 help governments promote gender equality in the region
02:10 and to empower women to reach their full potential.
02:13 Let us all work together
02:15 for a society that works for all.
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Almost half of the population in Central Asia lives in rural areas where the agricultural sector is the main employer. Female share of agricultural employment is more than half across the region. However, fewer women participate in decision-making on farms and tend to be in seasonal and unskilled jobs, mostly informal. Women farmers tend to own smaller plot sizes as compared to men, which results in lower value-added agricultural production. Women also make a strong contribution to food security and nutrition at both the household and community levels.
In many countries, they make up almost half of the agricultural labor force, but their production is limited by barriers to finance, inputs, and extension services, as well as land ownership and rights. The World Bank works globally and across Central Asia on promoting gender equality across the region and empowering women to reach their full potential – and thrive.