Women farmers from across WFO’s regional constituencies came together for the first WFO Food Security Webinar of 2026, calling on governments and agrifood stakeholders to turn recognition of their role into equal access to land, finance, technology, markets and decision-making.

Recognising the contribution of women farmers is not enough. Governments and agricultural stakeholders must translate that recognition into the conditions women need to invest, innovate and lead.

This was the central message emerging from Women Farmers at the Heart of Food Security, a webinar hosted by the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) on 23 July within the framework of the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026.

Women play a central role in agricultural production, natural resource management, nutrition and rural development. Yet their contribution continues to be constrained by unequal access to land, finance, education, technology, markets, services and decision-making. Addressing these structural barriers is not only a question of equality: it is essential to strengthening food security and the resilience of farming communities.

Opening the discussion, Cristina Chirico of the CIA-Agricoltori Italiani, Facilitator of the WFO Working Group on Food Security and Nutrition, underlined the need to move beyond celebrating women’s contribution and focus on their effective empowerment: “Our goal is not merely to celebrate and recognise the role of women farmers. Above all, we want to understand their real living conditions and identify the concrete needs required to achieve true empowerment in farming. Without the empowerment of women farmers, there can be no sustainable food security or resilient agrifood systems.”

Food insecurity remains higher in rural areas and among women

David Laborde, Director of FAO’s Agrifood Economics and Policy Division, presented the latest evidence and trends on global food security, including insights from the 2026 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report.

While global hunger has begun to decline after several years of increases, approximately 645 million people — 7.8% of the world’s population — remain affected. Around 2.1 billion people experience moderate or severe food insecurity, with rural populations continuing to be more affected than urban populations and women more affected than men. The affordability of nutritious food also remains a major challenge, with approximately 2.6 billion people unable to afford a healthy diet.

Laborde stressed that supporting women farmers and addressing the barriers they face across agrifood systems are essential to reducing production costs, improving access to nutritious food and strengthening food security.

Six regions, different experiences and shared priorities

The discussion then moved from global evidence to realities on the ground. Women farmers representing WFO members in Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, North America and Latin America exchanged experiences from their farms and communities, showing how women contribute to food production, nutrition, innovation and the sustainable management of natural resources. Their interventions also brought attention to the different barriers women farmers face across regions, as well as to the solutions being developed through farmers’ organisations.

Representing Africa, Valary Otieno presented how the Kenya National Farmers’ Federation (KENAFF) supports women through its Women in Agribusiness Platform. By combining capacity building with access to finance, digital services, markets, and leadership opportunities, the initiative helps women move beyond primary production towards value addition and profitable farm businesses. She called for sustained investment in women farmers, particularly in financial inclusion and legal protection.

From Asia, Vu Le Y Voan of the Viet Nam Farmers’ Union (VNFU) highlighted how women-led cooperatives can help farmers improve production, add value through processing and traceability, and reach larger markets. She stressed the need to strengthen cooperatives and connect women farmers with finance, technology, training, companies, and other value chain actors.

Representing Europe, Robyn Munt, Vice President of the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales (NFU), shared how cooperation between farm businesses can reduce costs, enable investment and create more stable market opportunities. Drawing on her experience with grain and meat cooperatives, she underlined that resilient food systems must be supported by profitable farm businesses and a stable policy environment that gives farmers the confidence to invest.

From Oceania, Australian beef producer Georgie Somerset of the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) focused on the importance of bringing more women into agricultural leadership. She highlighted programmes in Australia that provide women with mentoring, skills and support to prepare them for board and executive roles, stressing that investing in women’s leadership strengthens agriculture, rural communities and food security.

Representing North America, Anne Schwagerl of Minnesota Farmers Union and the United States National Farmers Union (NFU) described how farmer-led solutions can address gaps created by market concentration. She presented a farmer-owned meat-processing facility developed by Minnesota Farmers Union to provide family farms with access to local processing and new opportunities for diversification, direct marketing and value-added production. She also called on women leaders to create opportunities for the next generation and help build a strong pipeline of women in agricultural leadership.

Finally, representing Latin America, Martha Santos Louzada of the Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil (CNA) shared how her family farm in the Pampa biome combines livestock and rice production with responsible grazing, biodiversity conservation, soil protection and efficient water use. Highlighting the need to reconcile productivity and environmental responsibility, she called for continued investment in agricultural research, rural education, innovation and knowledge exchange among farmers.

Despite the diversity of their contexts, several common priorities emerged from the discussion: access to land and productive resources; affordable finance and reliable markets; training, technology and advisory services; profitable and resilient farm businesses; and stronger representation of women in farmers’ organisations and agricultural decision-making.

They also demonstrated the role farmers’ organisations can play in turning recognition into practical opportunities by connecting women with knowledge, services, markets and leadership pathways.

Transforming who owns, decides and benefits

Kirabo Suubi, Gender Economist at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), placed these experiences within a wider examination of gender norms in food systems.

Drawing on a global review of evidence on masculinities, she warned that increasing women’s participation is not sufficient if control over land, technology, income and marketing remains unequal: “Women are central to food security. Realising their full potential requires transforming the institutions and gender norms that shape who owns, who decides and who benefits across food systems.”

She called for extension services, financial systems, producer organisations, and value chains to be designed to promote equitable access and decision-making, while also engaging men as partners in changing harmful gender norms.

Turning the International Year into lasting change

Closing the webinar, WFO President Daniel Mwendah M’Mailutha called for women farmers to be recognised not simply as beneficiaries of agricultural policies, but as “food producers, entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders whose contributions are fundamental to food security and resilient rural communities.”

©WFO

He called for equal access to land, finance, water, and leadership opportunities, emphasising that empowering women farmers strengthens the resilience of agrifood systems at the community and global levels.

“The true legacy of the International Year of the Woman Farmer will be measured by the opportunities it creates for women farmers long after the year has ended,” the WFO President stated. Recognition must therefore be followed by policies, targeted investments and stronger representation of women farmers in agricultural governance and decision-making.

Loise Maina, Lead Technical Specialist for Gender and Social Inclusion at IFAD, moderated the webinar. It was the first event in the WFO Food Security Webinar Series 2026, developed by the WFO Working Group on Food Security and Nutrition to connect farmers’ experiences with evidence and policy discussions on global food security.

The recording of the webinar is available HERE

Cover photo: ©WFO