The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) welcomes the resolution adopted today by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 2026 as International Year of the Woman Farmer. The resolution, which was proposed by the United States of America and adopted by consensus, invites FAO, in collaboration with the other UN Rome-based Agencies, to facilitate the implementation and observance of the International Year of the Woman Farmer.

It also invites UN Member States, organizations of the United Nations System, other international organizations and stakeholders, including civil society, private sector and academia, to increase awareness of the crucial role that women farmers around the world play in agrifood systems, as well as their contributions to food security, nutrition and poverty eradication.

In this regard, the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 will serve as a platform for the adoption of effective policies and actions against the barriers and challenges that women farmers face across agrifood systems, as well as to promote gender equality and the empowerment of all women in agriculture.

The observance will also highlight the vital role of peasant women and other rural women in ensuring the economic survival of their families and contributing to both the rural and national economies.

Note: This article is originally published in the FAO website.