2026 Year of the Woman Farmer
By Roberta Lauretti-Bernhard
Vice President of Food Enterprise Solutions
And Grow to Market
When I was working in eastern Guatemala as a livestock extension agent for the Ministry of Agriculture, my colleague stated that “women do not farm” and that as a woman, I would have to work with male farmers. After doing my initial analysis (back then it was called PRA- Participatory Rural Appraisal- wow blast from the past!) my data from my observations/questions and those of the male farmers revealed that women did indeed do quite a bit of farming. Since that time, much has been documented about women farmers globally. There are numerous platforms that collect and share data about woman farmers like the “Food and Agriculture Organization”, economic development bilateral agencies like USAID, DANIDA, UKaid, CIDA, etc. as well the Latin American, African and Asian Development banks, and numerous online platforms and AI generated data. Here in the U.S., USDA has several services specifically for women farmers like loans, education/trainings, crop disaster assistance, etc.
Women’s contributions to agriculture and agro-industry not only provide food for the expanding global population but are also critical economic drivers, creating jobs as well as contributing to scientific research and innovation. Small scale farmers produce about four/fifths of the worlds food supply and women account for between 60% and 80% of the labor force on these farms in Africa. Women now make up over a third of all U.S. farmers. According to USDA, there are currently 1.2 million female farmers in the U.S., making up 36.3% of all producers — individuals actively involved in decision-making for farming operations. These women manage 407 million acres of land and contribute $222 billion in agricultural sales.
In this “International Year of the Woman Farmer” it is not only important to recognize and celebrate the success of women farmers but going forward, we should strive to reduce gender biases in policies and regulatory frameworks, Improve access to finance, access to markets, and education and skill-development.
To learn more about how you can support women farmers in 2026, visit us at www.growtomarket.org or contact us at info@growtomarket.org
