THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
NEW
DELHI, MARCH 15, 2026
The Global Conference
on Women in Agri-Food Systems (GCWAS–2026) concluded on Saturday in New Delhi
with a renewed global resolve to strengthen women’s leadership, participation
and innovation across agriculture and agri-food value chains, reinforcing the
importance of gender-responsive policies and inclusive development in shaping
the future of sustainable food systems.
Addressing the
valedictory session, Dr. M. L. Jat, Secretary, DARE and Director General of
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, highlighted that the conference should
mark the beginning of renewed action rather than the end of dialogue. He
emphasized the importance of strengthening social science research and creating
a robust ecosystem of gender-disaggregated data across agri-food value chains
to support evidence-based policymaking and bridge persistent gender gaps in
agriculture.
Announcing a major institutional
initiative, Dr. Jat informed that ICAR is developing a national gender platform
that will connect more than 900 institutions, including ICAR institutes, Krishi
Vigyan Kendras and agricultural universities, to expand research, extension and
capacity-building initiatives focused on women farmers. “ICAR to Develop
National Gender Platform Connecting Over 900 Agricultural Institutions to
Empower Women in Agriculture,” he said, adding that empowering women with
knowledge, data and decision-making roles can significantly improve farm
productivity, profitability and sustainability while strengthening resilience
across agri-food systems.
The valedictory
session was attended by several eminent personalities including Dr. R. S.
Paroda, Chairman of the Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences; Dr.
Renu Swarup; Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra of the Protection of Plant Varieties and
Farmers’ Rights Authority; and Dr. Rajbir Singh.
Presenting the
summary of the conference recommendations, Dr. Renu Swarup announced the
adoption of the Delhi Declaration, which calls for establishing a Global
Alliance on Women in Agri-Food Systems. The declaration commits stakeholders to
champion gender-responsive policies, strengthen institutional reforms across
agri-food value chains, ensure women’s access to land, finance, technology,
markets and digital innovations, and promote leadership and entrepreneurship
among women farmers and agri-business leaders. It also emphasizes
gender-responsive budgeting, systematic collection of gender-disaggregated
data, regular gender audits and transparent progress reporting to ensure
accountability while fostering global exchange of scalable innovations and
successful models of women-led transformation.
Dr. R. S. Paroda
underscored that empowering farm women must move beyond discussion to concrete
action through stronger institutional support, strategic partnerships and
gender-responsive policies that place women at the centre of agri-food
transformation. Noting that women contribute nearly 60–70 percent of the
agricultural labour force, he stressed that improving their access to
knowledge, credit, markets and training is essential for achieving food
security, poverty reduction and sustainable agricultural development.
Highlighting the
importance of recognising grassroots contributions, Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra
pointed out that many women who conserve plant genetic resources and
biodiversity often remain invisible despite their invaluable role in sustaining
agriculture. He called for stronger institutional and financial support to
identify and empower these custodians of traditional knowledge whose
contributions are vital for preserving biodiversity and ensuring long-term
sustainability.
Earlier, delivering
the welcome address, Dr. Rajbir Singh emphasized that empowering women farmers
is not merely an issue of social equity but a strategic necessity for
sustainable agricultural growth and rural prosperity. He observed that women
play a crucial role across the entire agri-food value chain and that their
leadership is essential for building resilient and sustainable food systems
capable of addressing emerging global challenges.
The conference
featured nine thematic technical sessions covering diverse dimensions of
women’s empowerment in agriculture, including global women trailblazers, gender
equality and social inclusion, emerging technologies for gender-transformative
change, women’s leadership in the agri-food sector, economic inclusion, policy
and market access, and dedicated forums for women farmers and youth leaders.
These sessions focused on strengthening women’s leadership, improving access to
resources and markets, promoting technology adoption and encouraging youth
engagement to create inclusive and sustainable agri-food systems.
GCWAS–2026 also
witnessed participation from prominent international experts and leaders
representing leading global research and development organisations. Among them
were Bram Govaerts, Agnes Kalibata, Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, Julie
Borlaug, Maureen Miruka, Josephine Okot and Nitya Rao, reflecting the
conference’s global character and its significance as a platform for
collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Participants from 18
countries deliberated on strategies to enhance women’s leadership and entrepreneurship
in agriculture while emphasising the need for integrated approaches linking
agriculture, nutrition, health and environmental sustainability through
frameworks such as One Health. Discussions also highlighted simplifying
regulatory processes in seed value chains to enable women to transition from
custodians of biodiversity to agri-entrepreneurs and expanding access to
credit, growth finance and markets for women-led enterprises.
The conference
further recommended stronger institutional convergence among government
programmes, research institutions, universities and the private sector to
create integrated support systems for women farmers and agri-entrepreneurs.
Universities were identified as key centres for innovation, incubation and
entrepreneurship development, while participants also stressed the importance
of ensuring women’s land rights, promoting women-friendly agricultural
technologies, strengthening gender-responsive extension systems and bridging
the digital divide through localized digital tools and advisory platforms.
Over three days, the
international conference brought together policymakers, scientists,
entrepreneurs, development partners and women leaders to deliberate on pathways
for empowering women across the agri-food value chain and strengthening their
role in building resilient food systems. Successful women farmers, youth
participants, students and contributors to the agricultural sector were
felicitated during the event for their achievements and contributions.
The conference concluded
with a vote of thanks by Rishi Tyagi, who expressed gratitude to all
dignitaries, partners and participants for making GCWAS–2026 a successful
global event. The conference had earlier been inaugurated on 12 March 2026 by President
Droupadi Murmu in the presence of Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan,
reaffirming India’s commitment to strengthening the pivotal role of women in
agriculture and agri-food systems worldwide.
