Rural economies are key to ensure food security and creating decent jobs. Yet the global context dominated by the impact of multiple and interlinked crises has laid bare prevailing decent work deficits, with many rural workers living in poverty and working informally. This policy brief looks at the transformative changes needed to advance towards more just, revitalized and dynamic rural economies. To do so, we need to place social justice and decent jobs at the core of policy efforts and ensure that the voices of rural workers are heard and that quest towards rural women’s empowerment and gender equality becomes a reality. Rural areas will not only become more attractive places to work and live, but also springboards for inclusive, sustainable and resilient development.