The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) welcomes the resolution adopted on May 3 by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 2026 as International Year of the Woman Farmer.  

The resolution encourages increased awareness of the crucial role that women farmers around the world play in agrifood systems, as well as their contributions to food security, nutrition and poverty eradication.

In this regard, the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 will serve as a platform for the adoption of effective policies and actions against the barriers and challenges that women farmers face across agrifood systems, as well as to promote gender equality and the empowerment of all women in agriculture.

FAO’s recent report, The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems, offers comprehensive insights into gender dynamics across agrifood systems. It emphasizes women's participation in socio-economic opportunities and calls on all actors to close significant gaps in women’s productivity and wages, and work to empower women working in agrifood systems.

The report finds that despite comprising 39 per cent of the global agricultural labour force, women encounter significant discrimination, confronting challenges in land and livestock ownership, access to quality and secure jobs, equitable pay, participation in decision-making processes, and accessing credit and financial services.

Source:  Food & Agricultural Organization May  2, 2024 news release