International Year of the Woman Farmer

Despite women’s extensive contributions in food production, processing, and household nutrition, women own less than 15 percent of agricultural land globally and remain disappropriately excluded from finance, technology, markets, data, and leadership.

Structural barriers, embedded in legal framework, social norms, and institutional design limit women despite their skills and effort.

Evidence suggests that closing gender disparities in agriculture could increase global GPD by approximately 1 percent while reducing food insecurity for an estimated 45 million people worldwide—women’s unlimited participation would directly improve well-being, increased incomes, enhanced climate resilience, and reduced hunger.

The United Nations declared 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer to promote action toward closing gender gaps and improving women’s livelihoods worldwide, while also raising awareness of the vital role women play in agriculture.

Building on this effort to raise awareness, GEA Farm Technologies spoke with women in agriculture across the globe to talk about their experiences, their upbringing, as well as their motivation, purpose, predictions for the future, and has asked them about the change they would like to see for women in this line of work.