In the regions of South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific islands, women go out before dawn with earth on their hands and hope within their hearts. It is not only a source of motivation but long-overdue validation to observe the earth-giving, life-sustaining, resilient women at such a significant moment. That’s why the year 2026 is a momentous one, marking the United Nations-proclaimed International Year of the Woman Farmer. It is not a gesture but a call to action.
Honouring the Unsung Heroes
This year is not about applauding tradition, but about finally recognising women for what they are: essential drivers of global food systems and rural prosperity. Many regions of the world have women producing between 60% and 80% of the food, yet owning less than 15% of the agricultural land, a stark imbalance between contributions and control.
And this isn’t because of aptitude; it’s because of systemic exclusion. Women are consistently excluded from access to credit, technology, secure markets, quality seeds, mechanized tools, extension services, and fair pricing. But even when they farm land as large as men’s farms, the productivity statistics show an actual 24% gap due to unequal opportunities, not a lack of skill.
This year, we celebrate them not only as caregivers or helpers but as economic architects building food security and rural stability in the most challenging situations.
The Unpaid Work That Sustains Us All
However, aside from the fields, women’s contributions through their work are embedded in the fabric of life. The estimated value of unpaid care work, such as childcare, caregiving for older people, housework, and the production of subsistence food, is $10.8 trillion annually worldwide. This is not charity, this is infrastructure. It’s the unseen framework behind schools, clinics, workplaces, and economies.
Empowerment Is an Economic Engine
It is high time that empowering women stops being perceived as ‘a social good’ and becomes ‘an economic necessity.’” Currently, if a country wants to “Closing the gender gap in agriculture alone could:
- Add $10 billion to the gross national product annually.
- Increase global GDP by as much as $1 trillion
- Reducing the number of people who are hungry by tens of millions
- Improve productivity and resilience in food systems
All the above can be achieved by strategically investing in female farmers, tearing down structural barriers. When women are assured of their land tenure rights, access to finance, property ownership, and a voice in decision-making, they can reinvest up to 90% of the funds that benefit their families and communities.
From Inspiration to Action
2026 is not a year of mere appreciation; it is a year of transformation. The UN and FAO are pushing for policy shifts, increased investment, legal reforms, and community partnerships to dismantle the inequalities that have undervalued women’s contributions.
That is a call that resonates across all sectors-tecnología, finanzas, empresa, resiliencia climática, and beyond- beyond-because the barriers are rooted within the same systems, whether in the rural village or the corporate boardroom.
A seat at every decision-making table is what real empowerment should look like. The harvest is ready. It is high time that we let the people who grew it actually own it, not just in metaphor, but in law, capital, and opportunity.