Fact check: What does it mean to be a woman farmer in 2026?
As the world marks the International Year of the Women Farmer, we asked our gender experts from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT to unpack what the evidence actually shows, and what we keep getting wrong.
- Africa
- Climate Action
- Gender and climate
- women in agriculture
Fact check: What does it mean to be a woman farmer in 2026?
As the world marks the International Year of the Women Farmer, we asked our gender experts from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT to unpack what the evidence actually shows, and what we keep getting wrong.
Open Fact-checking the myths, realities, and missed opportunities shaping global food systems configuration options
Fact-checking the myths, realities, and missed opportunities shaping global food systems
If you’ve ever heard that “women produce 60–80% of the world’s food,” you’re not alone. It’s one of the most widely repeated facts in global development. Yet the reality behind that myth is even more powerful, and more urgent.
Women make up nearly 40% of the agricultural workforce globally, and up to half in parts of Africa and Asia. They grow crops, manage seeds, process food, run informal markets, and feed families, often under the most difficult conditions. But the story of women in agriculture is not just about contribution. It’s about visibility, power, and missed potential.
As the world marks the International Year of the Women Farmer, we asked our gender experts from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT to unpack what the evidence actually shows, and what we keep getting wrong.