THEMATIC AREA 1
Promoting women's participation and leadership not only advances gender equality and women’s empowerment, but also improves effectiveness and innovation within agrifood systems. Women leaders in agrifood system businesses, rural organizations and local communities can have a significant impact on the aspirations of young women, as well as the choices they make about the types of work they engage in and the distribution of care responsibilities within their households.3 Nonetheless, they are often under-represented, emphasizing the need to focus on women’s leadership in agrifood systems.
“All the evidence we have shows that women’s economic and political participation is fundamental to economic growth as well as peaceful societies. Gender equality is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do, and the potential is enormous.”Bjørg Sandkjær
former State Secretary, Vice-Minister for International Development, Kingdom of Norway
CGE launch event, New York, 13 March 2024
More specifically, positive outcomes are associated with rural organizations that work with women: membership in cooperatives, associations and farmers’ organizations has been shown to increase women’s economic empowerment and well-being, as well as their access to critical resources and resilience to shocks. For example, in the United Republic of Tanzania, women’s fisheries and aquaculture collectives have improved women’s skills in combating the impacts of climate change, as well as their access to finance and market-related infrastructure.4 In Sri Lanka, women’s water management groups have helped to improve not only access to water but also women’s empowerment.5 Women’s participation in policymaking spaces is also critically important – for example, greater representation of women in parliaments has been associated with more stringent policies concerning climate change.6
Collectively, these commitments emphasize the importance of promoting women’s leadership in agrifood systems, whether as agribusiness managers, scientists, rural organization leaders or policymakers. By shifting decision-making dynamics and ensuring more inclusive policy and institutional frameworks, the CGE commitments on leadership can pave the way for more equitable, inclusive and resilient agrifood systems.
For bilateral development agencies, foundations, multilaterals, non-governmental organizations
For Members, producer organizations, local authorities, etc.
For businesses
Required citation:
FAO. 2025. Commit to Grow Equality: investing in the future of women in agrifood systems – Progress report 2025. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd4123en
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