From fields to futures: Investing in rural women for Viet Nam’s resilience

On the occasion of the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 (IYWF 2026), Vietnam Agriculture and Nature Newspaper shares perspectives from United Nations representatives in Viet Nam, including: Mr. Vinod Ahuja, Representative, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Mr. Matt Jackson, Representative, UNFPA the UN Population Fund, and Ms. Caroline Nyamayemombe, Representative, UN Women.

The role of rural women in sustaining food systems, families and communities

In a northern upland province, Yen is a small-scale organic rice farmer supplying both domestic and export markets. During peak season, she employs dozens of women from her village as casual workers, helping generate income beyond her own household. Alongside managing her farm, she cares for her ageing mother-in-law and oversees household responsibilities.

A few valleys away, Lien, a young Tay farmer, has shifted from subsistence maize production to higher-value crops and participation in a local cooperative. She balances farm management with caring for her young children, adapting constantly to market demands and changing weather patterns.

Women like Yen and Lin are not only farmers - they are entrepreneurs, employers and community leaders. Their work contributes directly to Viet Nam’s agricultural success. In 2023 alone, the country exported more than 8 million tonnes of rice, a record achievement, while agriculture, forestry and fisheries contributed around 12 percent of national GDP and supported millions of rural livelihoods. Behind these figures are women whose labour, innovation and resilience sustain both production and family wellbeing. Investing in rural women is therefore not only a matter of social justice but also an economic imperative. Strengthening women’s access to resources, skills, and markets directly benefits productivity, food security, and the stability of rural economies.

This year carries particular significance. As the world marks the International Year of Women Farmers, there is a renewed opportunity to recognise and act on the essential role rural women play in sustaining food systems, families and communities.

As Representatives to Viet Nam for our respective United Nations organisations, each of us has witnessed the contributions women make at the community level and has had the honour of engaging with local women farmers across the country. Many, including women in ethnic minority communities, have welcomed us into their homes and shared how their lives are changing compared to previous generations. We have heard how women are shifting from subsistence farming to adding value to agricultural products, joining cooperatives, accessing new markets, and diversifying income sources - often while continuing to shoulder significant care responsibilities within their families and suffering multiple setbacks due to climate change-induced disasters.

Yet despite their central role, structural barriers continue to hold many women back. Limited access to time- and energy-saving technologies, agricultural advisory services, affordable finance and secure land use continues to constrain women farmers’ productivity and resilience. Social norms still influence whose voices are heard the loudest in household and community decision-making, and who bears the greatest burden of unpaid care work. In remote and ethnic minority areas, women face higher risks of gender-based violence and more limited access to essential health services, including quality maternal and sexual and reproductive health care. These intersecting challenges constrain women’s choices, independence and long-term opportunities.

When rural women are fully empowered, the impact is transformative - for families, communities and the nation.

Evidence from Viet Nam and many other countries shows that when women have equal access to productive resources, rural economies grow and food systems become more resilient. When women’s leadership is supported and their voices are valued, communities make stronger decisions and are better equipped to cope with shocks. And when women can exercise their rights and control over their reproductive lives, they are better able to pursue education, livelihoods and build the families they desire.

Promoting gender equality and empowering rural women

Across Viet Nam, the United Nations works alongside government and community partners to strengthen the foundations that rural women rely on. This includes supporting women farmers to adopt climate-resilient and sustainable agricultural practices, improving access to markets and digital tools, and helping cooperatives grow stronger and more competitive. It also means expanding opportunities for women to lead their communities, build viable rural enterprises and access services that reduce the heavy burden of unpaid care.

At the same time, efforts to improve maternal health and expand access to quality sexual and reproductive health services, particularly in remote and ethnic minority areas, ensure that women can make informed decisions about their wellbeing and their futures.

Looking ahead, Viet Nam can build on its strong commitments to gender equality by advancing mutually reinforcing priorities. Ensuring that agricultural training, advisory services and climate information reach more women farmers, especially those in remote and mountainous areas, will help them protect and strengthen their livelihoods. Expanding rural childcare, including from 18 months to 3 years of age and care systems for the elderly and those with disabilities, will allow women to participate more fully in economic life. Ensuring quality reproductive and maternal health care, including trained birth attendants and safe delivery in health centres, will empower women to plan their futures. Greater access to affordable credit, flexible repayment terms and disaster risk insurance will strengthen women’s economic independence and resilience.  Sustained efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, and to promote respect and protection from all forms of discrimination in workplaces, schools, communities and families, will help ensure that every woman can thrive in her work and life.

For women farmers, these priorities are not abstract policy ideas. They are the building blocks of a dignified life: the ability to earn a stable income, to decide whether, when and how many children to have, to withstand climate shocks and to shape their own futures.

Viet Nam’s ambition to become a high-income country by 2045 will depend not only on economic transformation, but on investing in people. Empowering rural women is central to ensuring that growth is inclusive, resilient and shared across all parts of society.

Empowering rural women is not optional - it is essential. Supporting their voices and choices today will help shape stronger food systems, more equitable growth and a more resilient tomorrow.