International year of the Woman Farmer 2026: Making gender-responsive social protection
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) welcomes the celebration of the International Yar of the Woman Farmer in 2026 as an opportunity to highlight the importance of social protection in reducing gender inequalities and empowering rural women in agrifood systems.
The resolution, which was proposed by the United States of America and adopted United Nations (UN) General Assembly, invites FAO, in collaboration with the other UN Rome-based Agencies, to facilitate its implementation.
This initiative will serve as a platform for promoting gender-responsive social protection systems that address structural inequalities and power imbalances, and transform unequal gender roles and relations.
Despite progress in integrating gender considerations into social protection programming, there is an urgent need for a more ambitious gender transformative approach. Women face structural inequalities, including discrimination, limited access to resources, markets, and services, and bear the brunt of unpaid work, which aggravate their poverty and food security.
A holistic gender-transformative approach addresses discriminatory social norms, power imbalances, and structural inequalities. By engaging men and boys, conducting thorough gender analyses, and improving programme design, among other things, improved outcomes in poverty reduction, food security and nutrition can be achieved.
In commemorating the International Year of the Woman Farmer in 2026, FAO acknowledges the pivotal role of rural women in global agrifood systems and commits to addressing the challenges they face. Through concerted efforts and collaboration among Member States, UN entities, civil society, academia, the private sector, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, individuals and other actors, the Year will strive to raise awareness, implement concrete actions, and pave the way for more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems.
