As climate pressures intensify, IFAD’s GEWE priorities are becoming increasingly integrated with efforts to build climate resilience. The Gender Transformative Mechanism in Climate Adaptation (GTM) is an innovative initiative designed to deepen the impact of IFAD’s portfolio and deliver stronger results at the nexus of women’s empowerment and climate resilience. IFAD’s engagement with the FAO to Commit to Grow Equality (CGE) initiative largely centres on the GTM initiative.

Women play a vital role in food systems worldwide, yet many have little influence over the resources and decisions that shape their lives. CGE partner Welthungerhilfe proposes that food systems transformation must go beyond improving production and nutrition to strengthen women’s rights, participation and decision-making power – from households to local food systems.

Women’s centrality to Africa’s agrifood systems cannot be overemphasized. As part of CGE's "Partner in Focus" series, African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) outlines how to ensure women's meaningful involvement in leading agrifood systems transformation.

On the sidelines of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York, CGE convened an event highlighting the initiative as a powerful vehicle to translate the momentum of the 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer into tangible action and investment for women in agrifood systems. 

The newly convened Advisory Group of the Commit to Grow Equality initiative came together for the first time in December 2025 to discuss the Group’s mandate and future modalities for engagement. 

The thematic session during the Investment Forum 2025 served as a strong reminder that productivity and profitability increase when investments are made with a focus on enhancing opportunities for women and youth.

Commit to Grow Equality (CGE) hosted its first private sector roundtable to facilitate peer-learning on business and supply chain initiatives that seek to improve women’s participation and productivity in agrifood systems. 

olam food ingredients (ofi), a global leader in food and beverage ingredients, joined Commit to Grow Equality in 2024 as the initiative’s first private sector partner. Here, ofi shares examples of interventions implemented by the company to help empower women and safeguard children in its communities.

FAO launched the first CGE progress report at a dynamic event in New York, encouraging stakeholders to take concrete action to accelerate gender equality and women’s empowerment in agrifood systems.

FAO’s Commit to Grow Equality initiative has attracted an initial set of wide-ranging commitments from a diverse group of stakeholders that could benefit up to 54 million women in agrifood systems.

NEW YORK – Correcting the gender gap in agrifood systems would dramatically reduce the worldwide hunger rate, raise the incomes of hundreds of millions of people and add $1 trillion to global gross domestic product, offering one of the most effective pathways towards the common objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Building on findings from its pivotal report on ‘The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems’, FAO has launched a powerful call to action encouraging stakeholders to commit to significant financing and partnerships that can increase gender equality and women's empowerment in agrifood systems.

At CSW68, FAO cohosted several side events and participated in more, highlighting the importance of women's empowerment in building sustainable agrifood systems.