What will it take to make food systems work for women?
Thirty years after the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action — what many hailed as a landmark global framework for gender equality—progress remains uneven and inequalities still exist in many spheres. The Declaration, adopted by 189 nations, made one thing clear: development will not be advanced unless we also advance women’s empowerment. However, progress has been slow and at the current pace, it could take decades to close global gender gaps. Women and girls continue to face systemic barriers to rights, resources, decision-making and opportunities. Nowhere is this more evident than in food, land and water systems.
According to the Status of Women in Agrifood Systems (SWAFS 2023), women make up more than 40 percent of the global agricultural labor force. In sub-Saharan Africa, food systems are a primary source of livelihood for 66 percent of women, compared to 60 percent of men. Yet women consistently have less access to land, agricultural inputs, finance, markets, technologies and information. Harmful social norms and discriminatory laws continue to restrict their agency and decision-making power.
Closing the gender equality gaps in food systems would have immediate impact and long-term return on investment not only for women, but for their societies. Closing the gender gap in farm productivity and wages in food systems could increase global GDP by 1 percent (nearly US$1 trillion) and reduce global food insecurity by 2 percentage points, benefiting 45 million people (SWAFS 2023).
Given what is at stake, why is progress still so slow?
As we celebrate the International Year of the Woman Farmer in 2026, we have a renewed opportunity to move from talk to action and advance the empowerment of all women and girls beyond food systems value chains into value-adding sectors. Recognizing women’s central role in feeding the world must go beyond celebration. It must translate into sustained, evidence-driven action that delivers rights, justice and measurable change for women.
Here’s what it will take to move quickly towards equitable food future:
1. Close the gender data gap
CGIAR works hard to close the gender data gap in food systems. However, we need better evidence to inform policies. A 2020 review found that, on average, only one in 10 research papers about ending hunger considered gender differences.
Without gender-disaggregated data, inequalities remain invisible and under-addressed. Recently, the GENNOVATE initiative, led by the CGIAR Gender Equality and Inclusion Accelerator, released open-access datasets examining how gender norms and agency influence the adoption of agricultural innovations. The datasets cover 137 rural communities across 26 countries and include more than 7500 participants from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and age groups.
We need transparent and ethical data reuse for evidence-based policy and gender-transformative change. – Caroline Muchiri, Research Officer, CGIAR GENDER Accelerator
Data of this breadth and depth helps researchers, policymakers and practitioners design better innovations and policies.
2. Invest in solutions and innovations that work for women
Evidence shows that investing in women is good for societies.
According to SWAFS 2023, if half of small-scale producers (both women and men) benefited from development interventions focused on empowering women, the incomes of 58 million people would rise and resilience to shocks would improve for 235 million people. Statistics such as these help to build the case for investing in innovations for empowering women.
Yet too often, innovations are designed without considering women’s time burdens, access constraints or decision-making realities. Women shoulder disproportionate amounts of unpaid care and household work alongside labor-intensive farm activities. Technologies and innovations must respond to these realities.
For example, quick-cooking common bean varieties introduced in Tanzania by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and partners have reduced cooking time by up to 30 percent. This time saving translates into more opportunities for women to generate income, participate in education or simply rest.
Beyond single technologies, integrated approaches are also showing promise. Gender-transformative Socio-Technical Innovation Bundles (STIBs), which are co-designed combinations of social and technical innovations, address not only productivity, but also norms, access to credit, mechanization, market linkages, nutrition training and regenerative agriculture.
In Kenya and India, adoption of STIBs is improving maize and bean productivity, strengthening resilience to climate change, enhancing food security and contributing to women’s empowerment.
This marks a shift away from siloed innovation and a shift toward systems approaches that recognize that technology alone is not enough.
3. Unlock finance for women and improve their access to finance
Women are often left out of formal financial services due to lack of collateral, legal barriers and discriminatory social norms. A recent policy brief by CGIAR researchers for the 2025 South Africa Presidency G20 summit noted that investing in inclusive financial services for women who work in food systems can unlock productivity gains, improve food security and accelerate gender equality.
Digital financial services offer new possibilities for women. But women still have less access to mobile phones and other digital technologies. When women have access to mobile banking, savings platforms and digital credit, they gain greater control over income and investment decisions.
However, we must be intentional in the design to avoid reinforcing inequalities.
4. Leave no one behind in the digital revolution
Although digital solutions promise new possibilities, we must be aware of the unintended gaps they could create. With the advancement of digital solutions from mobile phone apps to use of AI chatbots, we must ensure women are not left behind in this revolution by considering women’s digital agency, access and control.
Digital agency—women’s ability to use, benefit from and influence digital systems—must be central to innovation design.
In a recent workshop led by CGIAR and Trickle Up, participants shared insights into how women experience digital agency. Work on large language model (LLM) chatbots and AI-based advisory tools must also consider language accessibility, literacy levels, privacy and control.
In making a case for getting mobile phones to rural women, CGIAR’s GENDER Accelerator Director Nicoline de Haan said:
“Access to information through digital technologies can be a powerful leveler and a critical weapon in the arsenal. And when it comes to gender inequality, it can generate multiple benefits, not only for women but for their families, communities and economies.”
Science can help us build equal food systems
Gender-just food systems are critical if we are to end hunger, build resilience and achieve sustainable development. In gender-equitable food systems, all farmers are more productive and better able to withstand climate and economic shocks.
By addressing structural barriers, closing data gaps, investing in solutions and innovations that work for women, expanding inclusive finance and leveraging gender-transformative approaches, CGIAR and our partners are helping build agri-food systems that work for everyone.
The solutions of the future must be co-designed with women and men. Join CGIAR’s International Year of the Woman Farmer campaign to strengthen evidence, invest in solutions and empower women.