2026, a year in support of women farmers
13/01/2026
In its research, the FAO found that women farmers typically work on smaller plots of land than men and that women engaged in wage employment in agrifood systems earn 78 cents for every dollar that men earn. Also, a 1°C increase in long-term average temperatures is associated with a 34% reduction in the total incomes of female-headed households, relative to those of male-headed households. The organisation insists that “empowering rural women through targeted development interventions could raise incomes for 58 million more people and boost resilience for 235 million”.
In Pakistan, Better Cotton seeks to support women farmers. It commissioned a report to identify areas of improvement, prepared by consulting firm Ardis Research & Consultancy based on data collected by BCI partners in the country, the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI), Rural Development Foundation (RDF) and Sami Foundation. The report identifies specific training for women, pinpointing various tasks, such as participating in farm-level decisions, improving on-farm productivity and building climate resilience.
Photo shows woman working in cotton field, courtesy of RadDis cotton, a regenerative small-holder farm to fashion programme in India
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