Last July, WhyHunger traveled to the Dominican Republic to learn from the women of CONAMUCA, the 10,000-member Confederation of Rural Women that has led the fight for land rights, gender equality and food sovereignty in the Dominican Republic for three decades.

In a photo essay last fall, we profiled some of the women who are working with CONAMUCA and advocating for the rights of rural women and youth. Today, on International Women’s Day, WhyHunger is pleased to share a video of these inspiring women talking about the importance of gender equity in achieving food sovereignty.

In the video, CONAMUCA members and leaders speak out on their shared vision of self-sustaining communities, access to education and the right to define their own food system. “We always have the idea that if there’s not equity, there can’t be sovereignty,” says CONAMUCA member Benita Cordero Viscaino. “Since we women are an important part of agricultural production, and of the land. If there’s no equity, where women can work at the same level as men, sovereignty isn’t possible. These things go hand in hand. And that’s why CONAMUCA focuses so much on equity as well as sovereignty. Because although women are made invisible, we put in 50% of farm labor.”

Celebrate International Women’s Day with WhyHunger by viewing the video on WhyHunger’s YouTube channel.