This technical guide for addressing gender equality in Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) is designed to provide an easily accessible and understandable reference on how to apply the Voluntary Guidelines on Sustainable Soil Management (VGSSM) for building healthy soils, while ensuring gender equality and women’s empowerment in all aspects of SSM. It is intended for use by a wide audience, including policymakers, public institutions and development partners, as well as by rural communities, farmers’ organizations, women and youth groups, and agricultural advisory services involved in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of soil management policies and programmes.

The guide may also be useful for other relevant stakeholders, including academia and research organizations, intergovernmental organizations and non‑governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector, who can play an important role in supporting, strengthening and documenting efforts made to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment in SSM.