FAO, in collaboration with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Ireland, officially launched the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF) 2026 on 4 December 2025, with a landmark event held alongside the Hundred and Seventy-ninth Session of the FAO Council. This global observance will put the spotlight on the indispensable role of women in agrifood systems transformation worldwide – champions of food security, improving nutrition and eradicating poverty, whose contributions often go unseen and uncelebrated. 

At the heart of this momentous occasion is Hon. Francoise Uwumukiza, a member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and passionate advocate for the International Year. A key figure in the Steering Committee, Hon. Uwumukiza has underscored the importance of addressing the persistent gaps between women’s contributions and their recognition within agrifood policies and legal frameworks. Women are central to Africa’s food production and rural economies, she emphasized, yet outdated laws and policies continue to hinder their full participation in many countries. Discriminatory inheritance laws, unequal land ownership, and limited access to water, finance and technology all serve as barriers that restrict women’s productivity and rights.

Hon. Uwumukiza continues to advocate for transformative legal reforms, arguing that establishing gender-equal land and inheritance rights, harmonizing family and land laws with gender commitments, and ensuring women’s representation in land governance are essential steps towards meaningful change. She highlighted that if women had the same access to productive resources as men, food insecurity across Africa could be significantly reduced. Addressing these legal and structural barriers is not just a moral imperative, she underlined, it is an economic and social necessity.

Beyond legal reforms, Hon. Uwumukiza stressed the importance of tackling structural barriers. Women farmers often bear the brunt of unpaid care work, face exclusion from financial services and are vulnerable to climate-related shocks. By integrating policies on agriculture, finance, climate resilience and social protection, a holistic approach could effectively address the pervasive nature of the challenges. With accountability mechanisms, such as gender-responsive budgets, mandatory reporting and disaggregated data systems, there would be greater clarity on commitments translating into tangible improvements.

As an example, Hon. Uwumukiza highlighted steps taken by the EALA, including the enactment of the EAC Gender Equality Equity and Development Bill, which was passed by the Assembly in 2017 with the aim to harmonize laws across the region. Regional programmes in the East African Community (EAC) now strive to incorporate gender considerations in trade, seed systems, extension services and digital innovations, reflecting the realities of women farmers, including young women and cross-border traders, who are vital to regional food markets.

Hon. Uwumukiza’s words resonate with a broader message: we are moving from mere recognition of women farmers to empowering them with rights and leadership. She passionately asserts that "empowered women farmers rise, and hunger falls." To world leaders, her call to action is unwavering: "Do not celebrate women farmers for [just] one year. Fund them, protect them, and place them at the centre of global decision-making every year."

Looking ahead, these efforts align closely with the path towards the upcoming Third Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition, set to be held in South Africa in 2026. The Summit will seek to accelerate commitments and translate them into concrete actions to end hunger and malnutrition globally. This resonates with the African Union’s CAADP Strategy and Action Plan 2026-2035 and its associated Declaration, with a decade for actions to ensure food security by 2025. The Summit will provide an essential platform for policymakers and stakeholders to review progress, share innovative solutions and reinforce their dedication to sustainable food systems that fully include women farmers, with parliamentarians on board as catalysts and drivers of change.