FAO Representative in Viet Nam: The future of sustainable agriculture depends on women

Across the world, especially across Asia and the Pacific, agrifood systems are undergoing a profound transition.

We are dealing simultaneously with climate pressures, resource stress, changing consumption patterns, rural transformation, demographic shifts, and growing expectations around sustainability, nutrition, and resilience.

In this changing landscape, one reality has become increasingly clear - the future of agriculture will depend not only on new technologies or investments, but also on whether we are able to fully recognize, support, and empower the people who already sustain our food systems every day.

Globally, agrifood systems account for roughly one-third of employment for women. In many low- and middle-income countries, they remain the single largest source of livelihoods for women.

In Asia and the Pacific, this role is even more pronounced. Women contribute across the entire value chain, from production and processing to marketing, natural resource management, household nutrition, and food security. Indeed, much of the agricultural progress we have witnessed over recent decades has been built on their labor, knowledge, resilience, and leadership.

That is already a tremendous contribution. However, we are now entering a new phase with different demands and challenges: the gap between contribution and decision-making power, between responsibility and access to resources, and between effort and recognition.

This is not simply a matter of equality, but also an issue of overall system efficiency. When a large segment of the workforce is not fully empowered to realize its potential, the entire system cannot operate at its full effectiveness.

Therefore, what we are discussing is not only a gender gap, but also a structural bottleneck.

I would like to highlight three aspects of this issue.

First, the participation-power gap.

Women participate extensively in agrifood systems, but their role in decision-making remains limited.

This applies at multiple levels - within households, within producer organizations, and within formal institutions.

In many contexts, women are responsible for key production activities, yet have limited say in decisions related to land use, crop selection, investment, or income utilization.

At higher levels, their representation in leadership positions, whether in cooperatives, value chains, or policy platforms, remains disproportionately low.

The result is a system where those who contribute significantly are not fully able to influence how that system evolves.

Second, the asset and access constraint.

Agriculture is fundamentally an asset-based sector. Access to land, finance, inputs, technology, and information determines productivity, resilience, and income.

Yet across countries, women face persistent constraints in accessing these assets.

Land ownership rights remain unequal. Access to credit is also more difficult due to the lack of collateral. Agricultural extension and training programs are often not adequately tailored to women’s actual needs. Meanwhile, their ability to connect with markets is generally weaker as well.

These challenges do not exist in isolation; they accumulate and reinforce one another. Limited access to resources leads to lower productivity. Lower productivity results in reduced income. Reduced income, in turn, limits the ability to reinvest, causing the cycle to persist.

Third, the institutional gap.

Agrifood systems in this region are highly fragmented, with large numbers of smallholders operating on small plots.

In such systems, institutions, particularly cooperatives and producer organizations, play a central role.

They help connect farmers, organize production, support access to agricultural inputs and markets, and provide a representative voice for producers.

However, in many places, these organizations are still not strong enough. Even when women participate in management or hold leadership positions, their voices and roles remain limited. As a result, the gap between farmers and markets, as well as support policies, remains considerable.

Without strong organizations, it is very difficult to transform individual efforts into collective strength. And without collective strength, achieving large-scale and sustainable change becomes extremely challenging.

Therefore, the key question is: How can we move from awareness to action and create real change?

Let me suggest four areas where action can make a meaningful difference.

First, strengthening access.

This includes access to land, finance, technology, and information.

But more importantly, it requires designing systems that are responsive to the realities women farmers face.

In China, for example, there are growing cases of women farmers using digital platforms to access markets directly, leveraging e-commerce and new technologies to overcome traditional barriers of distance and intermediation.

What this demonstrates is that when access, particularly to technology, is unlocked, constraints that once appeared structural can begin to shift.

Second, building agency.

Participation alone is not sufficient.

Women must be able to influence decisions - within households, within cooperatives, and within policy processes.

This requires deliberate efforts to promote leadership, representation, and voice.

It also requires addressing social norms that constrain participation.

Institutional mechanisms, such as inclusive governance structures and leadership development, can play an important role.

But ultimately, agency is about shifting from inclusion to influence.

Third, investing in institutions.

Cooperatives and producer organizations are not just operational structures - they are strategic assets.

They provide the “missing middle” that connects farmers to markets, finance, and policy processes.

In Viet Nam, I have seen women farmers move beyond production into leadership through cooperatives. In several provinces, women-led groups are not only producing, but organizing processing, branding, and market access, capturing more value within the community.

What is notable here is not just participation, but a shift in position within the value chain.

Strengthening these institutions, improving governance, financial management, and service delivery, is essential.

Equally important is ensuring that women not only participate as members, but also have opportunities to take on leadership roles. When organizations become more equitable and inclusive, the effectiveness and impact they create will also be greater.

Fourth, integrating resilience.

Climate change is already reshaping agrifood systems.

Women farmers are often on the frontlines of these changes, yet their access to adaptation resources remains limited.

In Mongolia, I saw women herders organizing at the community level to respond to increasingly frequent climate shocks. In conditions where extreme winters can wipe out entire herds, collective action, often led by women, has been critical in managing risk and maintaining livelihoods.

This is resilience in its most practical form - not as a concept, but as a necessity.

Therefore, supporting climate-resilient agriculture must become a top priority through improving farming practices, strengthening risk management tools, and building more effective early warning systems. However, these solutions must be implemented in a way that ensures women are not left behind.

To achieve this, isolated actions will not be enough; coordinated efforts among policies, institutions, and investments are essential.

Governments play a critical role in creating an enabling environment. Cooperatives need to evolve into platforms that promote innovation and inclusiveness. Development partners should provide support in terms of knowledge, resources, and cooperation.

FAO will continue contributing technical expertise and connecting partners, helping countries translate commitments into concrete actions.

The key message I would like to emphasize is cooperation. For women in agriculture, cooperation not only enables greater participation, but also creates pathways for them to take on leadership roles.

The issue is not whether women contribute to agri-food systems, that has already been clearly established, but whether our systems are designed to ensure that these contributions are translated into leadership, influence, and meaningful outcomes.

If we truly want to build a more productive, sustainable, and resilient agricultural sector, then this is a question that must be addressed seriously.

The Asia-Pacific Women’s Conference is an initiative of the International Cooperative Alliance Asia and Pacific, held in celebration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 under the theme “Empowered to Grow: Women Leading Change in Agriculture through Cooperation.”