The Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) joins the nation in honoring every Juana this whole month of March in celebration of the 2021 National Women’s Month.

This year’s celebration will serve as a tribute, a platform, and a call to action that highlights the extraordinary roles of ordinary Juanas in the society as trailblazers and harbingers of change. It also aims to give an avenue to discuss and address the issues that women continue to face, so that empowerment can be fully achieved.

With the theme “Juana Laban sa Pandemya: Kaya”, the campaign is also a call for concrete, sustainable, and inclusive actions towards gender equality.

As it is set in the COVID-19 pandemic backdrop, the celebration is held in a different light as women continue to face both challenges and opportunities in the new normal.

Hence, this year’s observance highlights women’s participation in battling the pandemic as well as discusses gender issues exacerbated by the pandemic. It is the time to delve deep into the gender issues that emerged or become more felt during the health crisis, feature women who thrived despite the circumstances, and share support systems and government programs that address women’s issues and concerns.

In developing countries like the Philippines, women are considered as the backbone of the rural economy. They make up almost half of the world’s farmers, according to the World Bank.

As the primary caregivers to families and communities, women provide food and nutrition and serve as the human link between the farm and the table. This important role makes women as key agents of change in agriculture, nutrition, and rural development.

The National Women’s Month is being celebrated every March by virtue of Proclamation No. 227, series of 1988.