Women Farmers. Caring for People and Planet

By
GIZ, FAO WFF Youth Initiative and UN Women

This portrait series titled “Women Farmers. Caring for people and planet. Sustaining land, water, and biodiversity” brings to life the stories of 11 women: farmers, leaders, cooperative members, aquaculture workers, women safeguarding the environment and young women working in food systems. It is a co-production of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the FAO WFF Youth Initiative and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

© GIZ / Climax Film Production

By GIZ, FAO WFF Youth Initiative and UN Women

This series “Women Farmers. Caring for people and planet. Sustaining land, water, and biodiversity” is a co-production of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the World Food Forum (WFF) Global Youth Action Initiative, hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

All contributions

The United Nations declared 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF) to celebrate the essential role women farmers play in enhancing food security and nutrition, building climate resilience, conserving biodiversity and caring for the land, water, their households and communities.

 

This portrait series titled “Women Farmers. Caring for people and planet. Sustaining land, water, and biodiversity” aims to elevate the voices of women farmers – showing both their immense contributions shaping and sustaining food systems and livelihoods and the challenges they encounter in their daily life.

 

This series brings to life the stories of 11 women: farmers, leaders, cooperative members, aquaculture workers, women safeguarding the environment and young women working in food systems.

 

The International Year of the  Woman Farmer invites all stakeholders to celebrate the crucial role women farmers play across food systems and promote gender equality in agriculture. This series is a co-production of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the FAO WFF Youth Initiative and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

 

Read the full study here.

 

If you want to learn more, please visit the World Food Forum (WFF) Global Youth Action Initiative website

 

Equality
,
Gender
,
International cooperation

Related articles

Leidy Fierro on her coffee plantation in Huila, Colombia. © Santiago Manso

Leidy: Coffee producer who creates opportunities for women and young people

A Story from Colombia

For young women coffee producers like Leidy, collaboration between cooperatives and development projects opens new opportunities along the entire value chain. Through her involvement in the “Notas de juventud” coffee line, she gains not only technical expertise but also greater economic independence and visibility.

Read more

Haribati Maravi, a Gender Master Trainer, weeding in her kitchen garden. © GIZ Indien CORE

Farming Hopes: Haribati's Journey of Empowerment and Resilience

A Story from India

In rural Madhya Pradesh, Haribati Maravi’s work in self-help groups is reshaping everyday power relations in agriculture and the household. Through training in climate-resilient farming, gender-specific questions, and collective organisation, women farmers are increasingly recognised as decision-makers.

Read more

Daw Ni Ni Than receiving fish feed for her farm, photo taken, 2023, Myanmar. © Jue Ko Ko Thet

From pond to plate – how aquaculture leverages women empowerment in Myanmar

A Story from Myanmar

In rural Myanmar, aquaculture is a key source of food and income for many households, yet remains highly vulnerable to instability and rising production costs. For women like Daw Ni Ni Than, fish farming is increasingly becoming a pathway from economic dependency towards greater stability and self-determination.


Read more

Arrival of SANWFA OCEAN20 panellists and exhibitors. © GIZ

Women as guardians of our ocean

A Story from South Africa

In coastal communities, women are closely connected to the ocean as processors, traders, and holders of local ecological knowledge. Yet their contributions to fisheries and marine governance often remain invisible, despite being essential for the sustainable use and protection of marine resources.


Read more

Ahalya Sahu working at her farm smiling, a symbol of resilience. © GIZ

Sowing Seeds of Leadership: Ahalya Sahu’s Journey in Natural Farming

A Story from India

Ahalya Sahu, a farmer from Pondi village in Madhya Pradesh, India, exemplifies the strength and leadership of women in agrifood systems. Though her education ended after eighth grade due to early marriage, she turned experience into expertise, building a successful livelihood through natural farming and becoming a respected community leader.

Read more

The Cocoa Farmer Kristina Rampang on her Farm. © Roy Prasetyo

Kristina Rampang: A Mother, A Farmer, A Community leader

A Story from Indonesia

In the remote village of Bobo in Central Sulawesi, Kristina Rampang has grown from a smallholder farmer into a respected cocoa producer and community leader. Through training, collective farming practices, and improved agricultural techniques, she is strengthening not only her own farm but also the role of women in local agriculture.

Read more

Mrs. R Chiyabi (left), a COMACO-registered farmer, and one of the women from the cooperative clean some of the harvested soya beans at her homestead — a step towards improved food security and income. © Luke Katemba/GIZ

Cultivating Resilience in Times of Climate Change: Madam Racheal’s Journey in Soy Farming

A Story from Zambia

In Mumbwa District, Madam Racheal Chiyabi has transformed her farm through climate-adapted soy production and agroforestry systems. At the same time, her cooperative’s equal decision-making structures and market access strengthen the economic position of smallholder women farmers.

Read more

Sarah with other farmers in the final workshop. © UNYFA / dlv

From "Just a Young Girl" to a Leader

A Story from Uganda

As a young leader in northern Uganda, Sarah Awor had to overcome stereotypes, limited resources, and family resistance. Today, she represents a new generation of women farmers who see agriculture as a space for entrepreneurial and collective transformation.

Read more

Jemimah Oronoga working on her farm in Kakamega county. © TMG

Her land, her rights: Justice through technology

A Story from Kenya

In Kenya’s Kakamega County, land conflicts are deeply embedded in the lived everyday realities of many women. New digital approaches are helping to address existing inequalities and to strengthen women’s land rights in practice.

Read more

Three women farmers on their field near Mwanza, Tanzania. © GIZ / Fabiana Anabel Woywod

The International Year of the Woman Farmer: Women as Drivers of Change

A Contribution by GIZ

Women produce a significant share of the world’s food and play a decisive role in transforming agrifood systems. The International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 highlights their contributions as innovators, entrepreneurs, and drivers of climate-resilient and sustainable development.

Read more