A column by Judith De Vor
The year 2026 has been declared International Year of the Woman Farmer by the United Nations. A remarkable initiative. Is it really necessary?
I was reminded of a morning in rural northern India. It was still cool, the sun just above the horizon. A woman bent over the rice fields, her hands quick and precise. Her husband stood a little further away, busy repairing a pump. When I asked her who ran the farm, she laughed and said that they did it together. But a little later, she told me everything was in his name.
To me, that sums up what next year needs to be about. Farmers are the backbone of our food supply, yet women remain invisible far too often. They sow, harvest, select seeds, tend livestock, keep families running. And yet they get less access to land, credit, education and decision-making. Recognition of farmers therefore must mean recognition of women farmers. So, to answer my question: is this International Year of the Woman Farmer really necessary? The answer, of course, is yes! It is so important to have an international year for women in agriculture. Because recognition and good intentions won’t get us very far. We need new ways of thinking, new understandings about the value of women. New approaches that will result in concrete actions. Those action can be a furthering of what already exists or completely different. We need this for more recognition, equality and especially action to improve the position of women in agriculture.
There is, however, a truth we need to see: we are not going to achieve this equality without men.
Security of and violence against women is still often a major problem
This is what I observed in Africa, where I was told about a co-op by women. Yields were higher than the regional average, soils healthier. But the women told me that the real breakthrough came only when their husbands joined in training sessions. Not about fertilization or market prices, but about shared decision-making. Recognition and appreciation is lacking. Security of and violence against women is still often a major problem. Let’s take, for example, one of the Women in Ag Awards winners, who could not be named to protect her safety.
The situation is different in the Netherlands, where woman farmers work and live – relatively – safely, but the problem is the same in essence. Women are involved in all aspects of running a family business: administration, marketing, taking care of the livestock and other activities. Yet even here, many businesses are formally in the husband’s name or, in many cases, the land is owned by the husband. We call ourselves modern, but old patterns are hard to get rid of. Sometimes it’s mentality, sometimes it’s a lack of understanding due to outdated records.
What gets me personally is how often equality is put down as a “women’s issue”. I mean, come on. The examples I witnessed speak of the exact opposite. In South Africa, I talked to a male coffee farmer who had made his wife co-owner of the plantation. He explained that since he and his wife officially ran the business together and shared ownership, he experienced more peace of mind and innovations. Instead of losing privileges, equality on the farm was an improvement. Women are not victims and this is not a women’s problem. This is about economic strength, social perspectives and society as a whole.
2026 should be about more than symbolic words and no action. It must be a tipping point.
The International Year of the Woman Farmer offers an opportunity to tell women’s stories more broadly. To see agriculture not only as production or as land management, but as a social system. And to explicitly invite men as allies. Because men in many countries own the land, often decide on investments and sit at the negotiating tables. If you want real change, you need to include everyone and everything.
This also means adapting our language. Not: “Women need to get stronger,” but: “Systems need to become fairer.” Not: “Men must make way,” but: “Men can share their space.” In Asia, I saw how joint training for couples led to less conflict and higher yields. The man learned to listen, the woman was given space to speak. Simple, but revolutionary.
2026 should be about more than symbolic words and no action. It must be a tipping point. Recognizing women farmers means recognizing those who really do the work. And equality for women in agriculture means holding men accountable for their role, their influence and their responsibility. I’m happy to see that already, there are men who stand up and take responsibility. There are many concrete actions men can undertake to improve the position of women in agriculture. In addition to recognizing and naming their work, consider shared ownership; shared decision-making on businesses; encourage education and training; break traditions terms of succession and role assignment; listen to what women have to say from their experience and perspective, whether at board tables, in decision-making or on the farm; and be male role models.
If 2026 can teach us anything, I hope it is this: the future of agriculture is together. Men and women farmers. Husbands and wives. We need everyone: farmers, agribusinesses, educators, policy makers and politicians. Let’s make sure 2026 becomes more than just recognition of women’s work and roles. Together, let’s take the first or further steps toward harnessing the talents, insights, changes and especially the power of women.
