The UN General Assembly has resolved that 2026 shall be the International Year of the Woman Farmer — an issue of key importance to MCLD and particularly its rural members. Within the UN, this focuses the energy of FAO, IFAD, UN Women and WFP. Among member states it is chaired by Jordan and Ireland. The speakers at the launch event illustrated the deeply entrenched mindsets, policies and practices that perpetuate the unjust barriers to the full and equal access of women to land, finance, training and technology.
FAO Chief Economist Dr Máximo Torero highlighted FAO’s “Commit to Grow Equity” initiative in their recognition that “empowering women transforms agrifood systems.”
HRH Princess Basma bint Ali of Jordan and FAO Good Will Ambassador shared her personal experience talking to a male overseer of women working on a harvest, who told her “Men don’t do hard labor, that’s women’s work!”
Dr Jemimah Njuki, Director, Gender, Women and Civil Society at the African Development Bank offered a “5 R” Approach to support women farmers: “Recognize, Resource (eg land and access to finance), Represent (women’s voice and leadership), Remunerate (women currently only make 80% of what men earn for the same work), and Rights (women farmers are the largest group of hungry people, they have a right to food and to food sovereignty.).
All the presentations, including those of women farmers themselves, were very powerful and I strongly recommend everyone watch the recording on the FAO site here:
