Rome, Italy – On International Women’s Day 2025, the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) unveils its new Position on Women Farmers, reinforcing its commitment to gender equity in agriculture and recognising women farmers’ central role in global food systems. This position, derived from the WFO Policy on Women in Agriculture (2022), is the result of WFO’s consensus-based policy development process, ensuring it...

Khilamaya Nepali, who has lived with a disability since she was six months old, is participating in an FAO-GCF farmer field school for the first time. She has learnt better farming techniques, like using upcycled plastic fly traps, and hay for mulch.

In the tribal and agrarian heartlands of Central India, climate change is not a forecast—it is a lived reality. Monsoons arrive late or little. When they do, they flood rather than nurture. Heatwaves now stretch for months, scorching both crops and people. Agriculture has become a risky gamble, and when...

Digital technologies are rapidly transforming how agricultural knowledge and services are delivered, offering promising avenues to bridge gaps in access to information, markets, and decision-making for rural populations. In South Asia, particularly in Bangladesh and India, digital extension and advisory services (EAS) are increasingly being adopted to support smallholder farmers....

From childhood to adulthood, we all dream. We imagine a future filled with possibilities, and every time someone asks, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” — the answers change with age, exposure, and imagination. But in rural India, this question carries a different weight—especially for girls. While children...

Gender equality is high on sustainable development agendas. Yet in 2020, 62 percent of all bilateral aid remained ‘gender blind’. That same year, only 1 in 10 of more than 100,000 research papers on ending hunger considered gender differences in outcomes, and investments and evaluations of gender outcomes are still...

In the heart of India’s villages and underserved communities lies an untapped potential—women whose dreams remain buried beneath poverty, tradition, and lack of opportunity. For decades, rural and underprivileged women have been relegated to the margins of society. Their contributions, though vital, often go unrecognized, and their aspirations are dismissed...

The empowerment of women in rural areas implies that they have power and control over their lives and participate in individual and collective decision-making. Empowerment depends on autonomy or the ability to act independently. The lack or weakness of autonomy is due to traditional gender roles in rural communities, which...

International Women’s Day 2025 is a rallying call to the global community to put their weight behind action ‘For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.’ Thirty years on from the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, gender equality remains a distant reality for millions of women and girls worldwide. Despite...

The integration of technology into rural development has opened new pathways for gender empowerment, especially for women who have historically faced systemic socio-economic exclusion. This paper explores the multifaceted relationship between technological advancement and the empowerment of rural women, emphasizing how access to information and communication technology (ICT), digital education,...

Agribusiness incubation (ABI) has emerged as a transformative strategy for revitalizing rural livelihoods, engaging youth in agriculture, and promoting sustainable technologies. This publication examines the pivotal role of ABIs in reshaping the agrifood system by providing essential support services and fostering collaboration among smallholder farmers and emerging entrepreneurs. As countries...

The Rural Women in Action Network has launched the campaign 'Rural Women in Action: Building a Sustainable Future' to commemorate the role of women in agriculture and rural development in celebration of International Women’s Day. Rural women make up almost half of the labor force in agriculture but they continue to face...

In 2018, PAN Ethiopia and PAN UK initiated an IPM research and farmer training project in Lake Ziway area, Oromia, Ethiopia. The aim of the project was to reduce pesticide use and consequent health and environmental impacts by promoting agroecological methods for pest management among vegetable farmers through Farmer Field...

In the village of Umkadhor, nestled in Jirang Block of Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi District, woman farmer City Sohkhwai tends to her one-acre farm with dedication. On this small plot of land, she grows ginger, pineapple, paddy, and arecanut, while also raising pigs and backyard chickens. Support from NEICORD played an important role...

This blog post highlights how cooperatives can empower women farmers, who make up nearly half of the world's smallholder farmers. It discusses how cooperatives provide access to markets, credit, and training—key factors in improving women's economic and social standing. However, it also acknowledges that structural inequalities, such as limited land rights...

Women play a crucial role in agriculture, particularly in rural areas, yet they often facesignificant barriers to resources, extension services, and decision-making. Despite forminga large part of the agricultural workforce, rural women struggle with limited land rights,inadequate access to inputs and training, and socio-cultural restrictions. Gender-inclusiveagricultural extension services aim to...

Iracema Da Luz Ferreyra’s community in Colonia Alegría, Argentina has seen the effects of deforestation and have awakened to the importance of trees for their lives and livelihoods.

La Fondation FARM, en partenariat avec Afdi et la PAFO, a créé un  outil au service des organisations paysannes africaines pour défendre la souveraineté alimentaire et orienter les politiques agricoles. Avec cette première édition du Baromètre des filières agricoles africaines, ils proposent une source d’analyse stratégique pour comprendre les interdépendances...

While agriculture is recognised as vital for improving nutrition, the evidence linking women's participation to sustained nutritional gains remains inconclusive. This review synthesizes studies published between 2000 and 2024 to reflect current agricultural practices and nutritional challenges. We examine how agricultural practices and time use affect nutritional outcomes among rural...

Este informe presenta una serie de iniciativas impulsadas por la Red “REDES CHACO” orientadas a reducir la brecha digital existente en la región del Gran Chaco Argentino. Estas acciones buscan abordar la situación de aislamiento que enfrenta gran parte de la población de dicha región, el cual limita el pleno...