"Raising Voices": The life of women in drug crop cultivation areas
What is known about the lives of women in illicit drug crop cultivation areas? What experiences and skills do they possess, and how can these be leveraged to improve the living conditions of small-scale farming families? The Raising Voices publication shares the stories of affected women smallholders and aims to convince political decision-makers to integrate these perspectives into drug policy strategies.
Illicit drug crops are primarily cultivated in remote rural areas of the Global South, often characterized by poverty, food insecurity, violent conflicts, and weak state structures. In their communities, women take on diverse and responsible roles, yet they frequently face discrimination. Social norms and practices hinder their active participation in economic and political decision-making processes. At the same time, they endure the negative consequences of the illicit drug economy daily. However, their stories and experiences are rarely told.
The publication "Raising Voices: Empowering female farmers in drug crop cultivation areas" seeks to change this. It highlights the experiences of women farmers in drug crop-growing regions and shares their stories from their own perspectives. The goal is to foster a better understanding of their situation and to enhance their visibility. Responsible organizations and political decision-makers should consider the challenges faced by women smallholders when designing and implementing development-oriented drug policies.
Raising Voices is the result of the first supra-regional exchange of experiences between women smallholders, which took place in Mexico in 2018. The conference was organized by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in collaboration with the Global Drug Policy Program of the Open Society Foundations (OSF).