Rural women across the world work along agri-food value chains performing numerous agricultural operations. Their work is increasingly affected by land degradation, climate change impacts and out-migration. It is often unrecognized, unqualified and unpaid. Moreover, the traditional division of labour often relegates women to manual, time-consuming operations with high degrees of drudgery. The combination of family responsibilities and insufficient access to critical services, information and technologies, affects women’s work burden and their potential for income generation. For example, fewer rights over land make it more difficult for women to access subsidies, finance or mechanization. The underlying reasons that limit women’s access to mechanization are embedded in the social norms that govern behaviour and drive inequality. These norms are often quoted by both men and women and perpetuated over generations: they focus on the concept that mechanization is for men; that women should spend their time on housework and childcare instead of using technology; that “women should not make money”, to name a few. Adopting gender-transformative approaches that challenge these norms through dialogue and awareness-raising campaigns is, therefore, as important as promoting policies and strategies supporting agricultural mechanization service providers. These service providers can be women or men, who create income and jobs from hiring mechanization services. Introducing equipment and machinery that respond to women’s needs and sensitize service providers to reach out to women farmers is particularly important in a context where male migration often leaves rural women to take over the entire management of farms.