As readers may know, 2026 is the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF), declared by the United Nations to highlight the vital but often overlooked roles women play in global food systems, address gender inequalities they face, and promote empowerment for more sustainable agriculture, with celebrations and initiatives starting now across the world. Even though this article is not about Canadian farmers, throughout the year, Small Farm Canada will be writing a series of articles about the women in agriculture in support of the International Year of the Women farmer.
Globally, there are an estimated 500 million smallholder farmers, with women representing a substantial proportion of this group. In several African nations, women comprise more than half of the agricultural workforce, rising to 76.4% in Malawi and 81.2% in Uganda. Yet despite their numbers and importance, women smallholder farmers continue to face unequal treatment and limited support, often due to deeply rooted gender biases.
The book Women and smallholder farming: Addressing inequities in agriculture aims to amplify the voices of women farmers while examining the systemic challenges they encounter. Edited by Professor Emerita Carlolyn Sachs of The Pennsylvania State University and Dr Paige Castellanos of Oxfam America, the publication brings together expertise from across the globe.
Contributions from over 50 researchers in 20 countries—including Vietnam, Colombia, Kenya, and Uganda—combine academic research with interviews from women farmers themselves. The book highlights key barriers such as restricted access to education and markets, limited control over assets, and unequal land rights.
“This is a valuable contribution to the important topic of women smallholder farmers,” says Dr Ruth Meinzen-Dick, International Food Policy Research Institute, USA.
Land tenure remains a central issue. While secure land access is essential for women smallholders, ownership is frequently dependent on marriage or male family members. Even in countries with progressive policies like Rwanda’s National Land Registration Program, women often lack meaningful decision-making authority.
“Understanding women’s and men’s rights to use and manage land and to make decisions about agricultural earnings is key for developing interventions that sustainably increase agricultural productivity and increase women’s economic empowerment,” says Krista Jacobs, Landesa, USA.
Both public and private sectors have a responsibility to support women farmers. Initiatives such as Australia’s Invisible Farmer project and fairtrade programmes in beverage crop production illustrate how institutional backing and fair market access can help address gender inequities.
Empowering women smallholders is essential not only for fairness, but also for global food security and long-term sustainability.