International Year of the Woman Farmer
The United Nations has designated 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer.
IYWF 2026 will raise awareness and promote actions to close the gender gaps and improve women’s livelihoods worldwide.
In 2024, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the U.S.-introduced resolution to declare 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmers (IYWF 2026). The Year spotlights essential roles women play across agrifood systems, from production to trade, while often receiving little to no recognition. Women farmers are critical to food and nutritional security and rural economic resilience.
National Farmers Union is proud to promote and celebrate IYWF 2026 alongside our agricultural partners to uplift the hundreds of thousands of women who make our organization the premier family farm organization in the country.
National Women in Agriculture Study and Survey
The national Women in Agriculture Study explores women’s leadership and involvement across the industry, identifies barriers and opportunities, and provides actionable insights to strengthen engagement and support systems.
This survey is open to individuals aged 18 and older in the United States who have an interest or involvement in agriculture, including those who work in production agriculture, agribusiness, education, advocacy, or related fields.
Anyone may participate in the survey regardless of gender.
ACE Summit
Washington, D.C. | June 1-3, 2026
In celebration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF), National Farmers Union, the American Farm Bureau Federation, along with a strong coalition of U.S. agrifood system stakeholders, is proud to host a landmark national gathering honoring the vital role women play in agriculture and the supply chain.
High-Level Goals
Explore the objectives that shape the International Year of the Woman Farmer
Land Tenure
Access to land is a basic requirement for farming; therefore, land ownership is the single more important asset for families that rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. Still, there is a vast difference in the share of male and female agricultural landowners in many countries.
The percentage of men who have ownership or secure tenure rights over agricultural land is twice that of women in more than 40 percent of the countries that have reported on women’s landownership.
Training
Training plays a critical role in empowering women in agriculture. It equips them with the knowledge and skills needed to adapt to climate impacts, improve productivity, and contribute to sustainable food systems. Focused training, access to networks and inclusion of female extension agents are elements associated with improvements in technology adoption, reduced post-harvest losses, increased climate resilience, and at the same time provides economic benefits, including increasing household income.
Credit
These financial services provide critical opportunities to improve agricultural outputs and farm economies. When new expensive technologies become available, credit is an essential part of gaining access to these opportunities to improve productivity and long-term incomes. Restricting access to these financial prospects forces producers who are unable to bear the risks and upfront costs to be left behind.
Technology
As a result of gender gaps that have restricted land tenure and access to credit markets, women are also at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing new technologies that can increase productivity such as farm equipment, improved plant varieties and livestock breeds, fertilizers, and pest control/land management techniques, and digital technologies. The use of purchased inputs depends on the availability of complementary assets such as land, credit, education, and labor, all of which tend to be more constrained for female-headed households than for male-headed households.
Greater access to and adoption of climate-smart technologies and practices could help shrink the productivity gap, increase women farmer’s resilience, and improve rates of food insecurity worldwide.
