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Women-led farms are on average 25 per cent less productive than those led by men due to persistent barriers to productive resources and opportunities. To mark UN’s International Year of the Woman Farmer, women smallholder farmers issued a global call for ensuring their equal access to agricultural technology, finance and markets, saying that unlocking women’s full participation in agriculture could significantly boost food production and reduce hunger worldwide.
According to United Nations data, if women had the same access to productive resources as men, farm yields could increase by 20-30 per cent, which could feed an additional 100 to 150 million people. The participating farmers urged governments, funders and institutions to act on the structural barriers limiting their ability to feed their communities and strengthen food systems.
The farmers made the call during a global virtual event hosted by Heifer International, an organisation working with smallholder farming households and partners to mark the United Nations (UN)-recognised International Year of the Woman Farmer, launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization, that recognises the vital role women play in global agriculture, and the urgent need to address the barriers that limit their productivity and leadership.
“Women farmers are protecting biodiversity, strengthening local markets and feeding vulnerable communities around the world, despite the barriers we face. Imagine what we could achieve if we had the same access to land, finance and decision-making power as men,” said Josselyn Vega, an Indigenous Kichwa Panzaleo farmer from Ecuador who is the former president of the Association of Agroecological Producers of Cotopaxi in Ecuador.
Women produce a significant share of the world’s food, and up to 80 per cent of national supplies in developing countries, yet they face persistent barriers to productive resources and opportunities to market their output competitively.
Julian Nafula Simiyu, a poultry farmer and community leader in Bungoma County, Kenya, said, “When women farmers succeed, young people, especially young girls, see agriculture as an entrepreneurial opportunity, not a hardship. Therefore, investment in women-led agribusiness is an untapped investment in the next generation of rural entrepreneurs.”
She operates an indigenous breeds enterprise and chairs a rural savings and credit cooperative supporting farmer finance and youth entrepreneurship.
The farmers called for their meaningful inclusion in the policy and investment decisions by governments, funders, and non-profits that shape rural economies. They emphasised that women farmers were already leading enterprises, producer associations and financial cooperatives, and that sustained investment in their leadership is essential to building resilient food systems globally.
“Women farmers are already leading change in their communities, but they need more than recognition alone. To succeed, they need equal access to the resources, opportunities and decision-making power,” said Surita Sandosham, President and CEO of Heifer International.
“If we are serious about ending hunger and building sustainable food systems, then listening to women farmers, and acting on what they say, is essential,” she said.