International Year of the Woman Farmer

A Cambodian woman kneels in a field and smiles while holding two halves of a small watermelon.

Photo credit: © 2023 Banung Ou/CARE

Health

Women feed the world. In 2026, the world recognizes them.

Did you know that women produce more than 50% of the world’s food?

And that percentage changes substantially by region. That’s one of the reasons the United Nations declared 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer — a moment of recognition and a call for change.

For more than seven decades, CARE has worked alongside women farmers across more than 100 countries. Throughout 2026, we will share their stories and advocate for the changes women in agriculture have long deserved.

CARE’s approach: Women farmers as leaders

Women farmers are decision-makers, market operators, and leaders in their communities and food systems, yet they often don’t have equal access to land, high-quality seeds, fertilizer, and more.

CARE supports women farmers by helping them access these resources, boost their decision-making power, relationships, and business prospects so they can drive the change their communities need.

Why this year matters

More than 800 million people go hungry every day — not because there isn’t enough food, but because food systems are unequal.

Women farmers are at the center of that inequality, and at the center of the solution.

600M+

women work in agriculture worldwide

80%

of food in developing countries is grown by women

30%

the gap in land ownership between women and men

150M

people could be lifted from hunger if women and men farmers had equal access

Source for all stats: FAO SOFA 2023 report

Voices from the farms

Women farmers know what it takes to feed families, strengthen communities, and build more resilient food systems. Their stories show the realities of hard work, ingenuity, systemic barriers, and what becomes possible when women have the land, tools, skills, and support they deserve.

Explore CARE’s 2026 digital story book, Stories of Women Feeding the World, featuring 50 stories from 50 countries. The collection highlights the powerful role women play across food systems as producers, retailers, processors, traders, and leaders.

A Yemeni woman pours beans from a bucket into a larger tub.

Meet A'idah

CARE’s Farmer Field and Business School pilot in Taiz, Yemen, supported by the SALL Foundation, helped farmers improve skills, boost productivity, use water more efficiently, and strengthen women’s leadership, showing strong potential to scale.

A’idah participated in the pilot program. She said, “Before, women like me had no say. We followed what men told us. Now, I can speak, decide, and even negotiate in the market. This project brought out my personality and gave me the courage to speak up. At 42, I finally feel I can shape my future.”

Knowledge and resources

Throughout 2026, CARE is building a library of evidence, stories, and tools for the International Year of the Woman Farmer. All resources are freely available to download and share.

Investing in women and communities to build resilient cocoa supply chains

Drawing on more than two decades of work in cocoa-growing communities, this report outlines CARE's approach to partnering with companies to strengthen women's economic leadership, household resilience, and supply chain stability. It covers CARE's integrated model — including savings groups, resilient agriculture, family business planning, and income diversification — and shares evidence from programs with partners including Mars, Cargill, Mondelēz, and the Hershey Company across West Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.

Read the report

Why food loss and waste technologies scale or fail

This CARE report highlights practical solutions to strengthen food security, support women farmers, and build climate resilience.

Read the report

CARE at the 2026 Global Moments

Major global moments in 2026 offer important platforms for the International Year of the Woman Farmer agenda. CARE will be present at many, bringing evidence, amplifying women farmers' voices, and advocating for concrete policy commitments.

United National General Assembly – September 2026

The UN General Assembly High-Level Week is a critical moment for women farmers' voices on the global stage. Throughout UNGA and Climate Week 2026, CARE will use this platform to share evidence and stories from across the year, with a focus on women's leadership in food systems, protecting the environment, and resilient agriculture.

International Day of Rural Women — October 15, 2026

On International Day of Rural Women, CARE will release new data from the Women Respond initiative through a farming lens. This data-driven spotlight will center women farmers’ lived realities, priorities, and decision-making power.

CARE-WWF Alliance

The CARE-WWF Alliance works at the intersection of development and conservation. By bringing together CARE’s experience in poverty reduction and social action with WWF’s conservation expertise, the Alliance supports healthy ecosystems and the women and communities who depend on them. You can read some stories about our work below.

Case Study: Everything Changed with the CARE–WWF Alliance

Read more

Case Study: "My Journey with Bees and Hope"

Read more

Case Study: Sowing Change in Colombia

Read more

About CARE

CARE is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian and development organizations. Founded in 1945, CARE works in over 120 countries, reaching more than 100 million people each year.

Women and girls are at the center of everything we do because we know that when women have the power, skills, and resources to thrive, entire communities benefit.

CARE has worked alongside women farmers for more than seven decades. Our agriculture and food security programs address land rights, environmental resilience, market access, financial inclusion, and violence against women and girls across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

In 2026, we are proud to bring that experience to the global stage as a committed partner in the International Year of the Woman Farmer.

Work with us

The International Year of the Woman Farmer is only meaningful if it leads to real, funded, lasting change. CARE partners with companies, foundations, donors, and institutions ready to move from recognition to action.

Whether you want to align your portfolio with the International Year of the Woman Farmer agenda, fund women-centered food systems programming, or draw on CARE’s evidence and expertise, we want to hear from you.