With food insecurity and the climate crisis impacting millions of people in Asia and the Pacific, empowering women in agriculture is a powerful solution. Strengthening their role not only improves agrifood systems but also enhances climate resilience, sustainable livelihoods and public health.
Women Farmers in Agrifood Systems: An Unequal Field
Globally, 36% of working women are employed in agrifood systems. In regions such as South Asia, this can exceed 70% of working women, highlighted a 2023 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Yet, the returns for their participation in this vital system are often inequitable. Agrifood systems are a critical source of livelihood for millions of women. However, many continue to face poverty, hunger, malnutrition and gender-based discrimination, said Takayuki Hagiwara, an FAO representative in India. At the same time, the world relies on women in agrifood for food security, with them producing up to 80% of food in some countries. Despite their integral role, these positions are frequently marginalised and are often worse than the conditions for men. They tend to be irregular, informal and vulnerable, as well as labour-intensive, low-skilled and part-time, highlights the FAO. Moreover, few women in South Asia are landholders, ranging from 4.8% in Bangladesh to 12.8% in India. This means that most women in agriculture are unpaid family workers or paid labourers on other people’s farms, and without land, face barriers to accessing credit.
Climate Challenges
Given these structural socioeconomic inequalities, it is unsurprising that women are more likely to live in poverty and are more food insecure than men. Escalating and unpredictable climate impacts are also compounding the hardship. Storms, floods, droughts and saltwater intrusion are causing vast crop and livestock losses for the world’s poorest food producers. These climate impacts often hit women harder than men, as they exacerbate existing inequalities such as unequal rights and lack of access to financial opportunities. Women also bear the disproportionate burden of unpaid care and domestic work.
Impact on Local Producers
Climate-related agricultural losses significantly impact small-scale farmers, contributing to regional and global food insecurity and shortages. As the climate crisis worsens and women producers remain disenfranchised, these challenges will only intensify. With food insecurity being a pressing global issue, empowering women farmers is a prerequisite for more secure and resilient food systems.
It is critical to transform agrifood systems so they can work better for women, said Lauren Phillips, FAO’s deputy director of the Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division. “Unlocking women’s empowerment isn’t just about their rights and their well-being — it’s a catalyst for boosting family income, ensuring food security, enhancing resilience and maximising productivity.”
Closing the Gender Gap in Agriculture
Achieving gender equality in agriculture can bring enormous benefits for everyone. Closing the gender gap in farm productivity and the wage gap in agriculture would increase global GDP by at least 1%, close to USD 1 trillion, and reduce the number of food-insecure people by 45 million people, according to the FAO. Levelling the playing field in access to technology, support and resources is a win for women and food security overall.
Interventions to Support Women in Agriculture
Embedding gender equality into agricultural policies and investments, governments and institutions can drive transformational social and economic change. Currently, just 6% of bilateral aid treats gender as a fundamental issue. If half of small-scale producers benefited from development interventions that focused on empowering women, it would significantly raise the incomes of an additional 58 million people and increase the resilience of an additional 235 million people.
Governments can also implement legal reforms to strengthen women’s land ownership. In India, Odisha’s land rights to women initiative provided thousands of women with legal land titles, improving access to credit and decision-making power. Expanding financial inclusion and education would also empower women to invest in more sustainable and resilient farming techniques. In Nepal, teaching women farmers climate-smart agricultural practices enables women to rebuild their businesses following weather impacts — thereby enhancing food security and livelihoods. Likewise, scaling climate-smart agriculture can significantly reduce the labour burden for women in agriculture. In Bangladesh, solar-powered irrigation projects have allowed women farmers to increase incomes, reduce toil and enhance local food access.
Training and support programs are also vital for closing the gender gap in agriculture. In Vietnam, one project is enhancing livelihoods for women farmers by improving working conditions, safety and social protection, alongside training in sustainable farming. The project also engages businesses to support women through fairer contracts and better policies, strengthening sustainable agricultural value chains. Similarly, in India, the Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojna (MKSP) scheme has trained more than 3.6 million women in sustainable farming, and has evolved to include market linkage support, helping women farmers establish producer enterprises and access better livelihood opportunities.
Evelyn Smail
Writer, United Kingdom
Evelyn is a freelance writer and journalist specialising in climate science and policy, the just energy transition and the human impacts of climate change. She writes for independent publications, NGOs and environmental organisations. Evelyn has a background in sustainable development, climate justice and human rights.
Evelyn is a freelance writer and journalist specialising in climate science and policy, the just energy transition and the human impacts of climate change. She writes for independent publications, NGOs and environmental organisations. Evelyn has a background in sustainable development, climate justice and human rights.
