Year of the Woman Farmer: Connecting Producers to Global Opportunity
This year marks the International Year of the Woman Farmer, a timely opportunity to recognize the role women play across agricultural systems. While Women’s contributions are significant, their access to finance, technical support, and markets are still limited. Expanding these opportunities is key to building more inclusive commodity markets and resilient food systems.
At this year’s “World of Coffee” (formerly the Specialty Coffee Association) in San Diego, there were over 600 venders and women producers from Africa, Asia and Latin America engaged directly with global buyers, roasters, equipment companies, and others. This annual event brings all the actors in the coffee value chain together, creating space to build new relationships, strengthen existing ones, and better understanding the needs of international markets.
World of Coffee (formerly Specialty Coffee Association)
It is especially important for women coffee farmers as the “International Women’s Coffee Alliance” provides dedicated events for women producer members of their 35 consumer and producer chapters worldwide. “Grow to Market” (GTM) and Food Enterprise Solutions (FES) sponsored the participation of Southeastern Roastery out of Baltimore. Owner Candy Shibli (shown below with a grower from Uganda) has provided support to GTM’s Credit for Women Fund and buys women's coffee to support women growers.
Southeastern roaster Candy Schibli & coffee producer Annet Nyakaisiki
Vice President for FES and GTM Roberta Lauretti-Bernhard (shown below with producers/roasters from Colombia) works connecting women in all aspects of the coffee value chain, connecting with partners and sharing tools that support women-led enterprises, including her work in microfinance training through “Credit for Women.”
Women's participation in conferences like this reflects a broader focus on ensuring that women entrepreneurs were not only visible in global markets but supported in ways that help their businesses grow over time.
FES & GTM Vice President Roberta Lauretti-Bernhard with Paisa Coffee Entrepreneurs
Building Readiness for Global Markets
Women farmers are entrepreneurs and they participate in spaces like World of Coffee with the preparation needed to engage confidently. This event provides women connections in a complex commodity, like coffee, women meet buyers, share their products, and build relationships that can extend well beyond the event.
Grow to Market supports women owned businesses to help prepare them for these opportunities. We actively connect U.S. coffee shop owners –like Candy- and women producers, supporting a “woman to woman” value chain, like our business literacy training program that includes topics like loan management, business management, etc. to help entrepreneurs better manage and utilize their capital. Preparation like this often determines whether new connections result in sustained business success.
What Comes Next for Women Farmers
Participation in global events like World of Coffee is an important moment for women farmers and entrepreneurs, but long-term success depends on continued access to finance, stronger market linkages, and the technical capacity to meet evolving industry standards.
Efforts that combine these elements are already showing what is possible. When women are equipped with skills to not only produce, but to negotiate, scale, and lead within value chains, their businesses become more resilient and competitive. Through this work, Grow to Market continues to support the systems that enable women farmers to succeed, helping expand pathways from participation to sustained growth in global markets.
Learn more about Grow to Market and how we support women-led agribusinesses or connect with us to explore partnership opportunities. www.growtomarket.org | info@growtomarket.org | Credit For Women
