Walk through any rice paddy in Southeast Asia, any market in the Pacific Islands, or any fishing village along the Bay of Bengal, and you will find women at work—planting, harvesting, processing, and selling. Nearly 58 percent of employed women across Asia and the Pacific work in agriculture. They form the backbone of how this region feeds itself.
Yet, despite their tireless labor, women farmers face persistent systemic barriers. Only 10 to 20 percent hold land tenure rights in the region. Without land titles, they cannot access credit, make long-term investments, or fully benefit from the systems they sustain. When they earn wages, they take home just 82 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earn.
From 20 to 24 April, ministers of agriculture, senior officials, and delegates from 46 countries will gather in Brunei Darussalam for the 38th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC 38) to set the region’s food and agriculture priorities. This year—with the United Nations declaring 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer—we must recognize women’s pivotal roles and prioritize gender equality across agrifood systems.
Addressing these inequalities is not just about fairness; it is fundamental to tackling food insecurity, climate resilience, rural poverty, and sustainable development. We cannot advance on these challenges while leaving women behind.
FAO research suggests that closing gender gaps in farm productivity and wages could add $1 trillion to global GDP and lift 45 million people out of food insecurity. Such action would also enhance household well-being, build climate resilience, and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. Empowered women farmers are key agents of change.
What would genuine commitment entail? It means tackling discrimination, institutional biases, and policy gaps that limit women’s full participation in agrifood systems. It would involve financial institutions offering women-friendly products for smallholder farmers, alongside technical training and market information to boost productivity.
FAO promotes gender-transformative actions that address inequality’s root causes by shifting norms, power relations, and institutional practices. These require engagement from all stakeholders.
Progress is underway across the region. Governments in Cambodia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, and Sri Lanka are implementing programs that challenge discriminatory norms and barriers, engaging men as partners for change. Women-led cooperatives and producer groups are reshaping value chains and modeling inclusive leadership. In 2023, the Committee on World Food Security adopted Voluntary Guidelines to help governments create gender-responsive policies and investments that ensure women’s full, equal participation, voice, and leadership in agriculture.
These efforts are not isolated; they demonstrate what is possible. We must connect, learn from, and scale them.
APRC 38 arrives at the perfect moment. It unites ministers of agriculture, senior officials, and representatives from civil society and the private sector to advance food security, climate-resilient agriculture, and inclusive policies for smallholders, women, youth, and vulnerable groups.
The year 2026 offers a unique chance to turn visibility into lasting change. The International Year of the Woman Farmer demands collective action and investment from governments, partners, and the private sector to close gender gaps, strengthen livelihoods, and elevate women’s leadership across agrifood value chains.
Sustaining this momentum requires ongoing collective effort. FAO remains committed to partnering with Member Nations to turn pledges into action.
-By Alue Dohong,Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative, (FAO)
