The Global Conference on Women in Agri Food Systems 2026 concluded in New Delhi with a renewed international commitment to strengthen women’s leadership, participation and innovation across agriculture and food systems. The three day conference brought together policymakers, scientists, development experts, entrepreneurs and women leaders from around the world to advance gender responsive agricultural policies and inclusive development strategies.
The valedictory session of the conference was attended by M. L. Jat, Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, who served as the chief guest. Other dignitaries present included R. S. Paroda, Chairman of The Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences, Renu Swarup, Former Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, Trilochan Mohapatra, Chairman of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority, and Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director General Agricultural Extension at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
Addressing the gathering, M. L. Jat said that the conference represents the beginning of renewed action rather than the conclusion of dialogue on gender responsive agricultural systems. He emphasized the importance of strengthening social science research and developing a robust ecosystem of gender disaggregated data across agricultural value chains. According to him, improved data systems will support evidence based policymaking and help address persistent gender gaps in agriculture and agri food systems.
Announcing a significant institutional initiative, M. L. Jat informed participants that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research is developing a national gender platform that will connect more than 900 institutions across the country. The platform will integrate ICAR institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras and agricultural universities in order to strengthen research, extension services and capacity building initiatives aimed at empowering women in agriculture.
He said that empowering women through access to knowledge, technology and decision making roles can significantly enhance agricultural productivity, profitability and sustainability. He also called for stronger collaboration among institutions to ensure that the outcomes of the conference translate into tangible action and practical programmes on the ground.
During the valedictory session, Renu Swarup presented a summary of the major recommendations that emerged from the conference and announced the adoption of the Delhi Declaration. The declaration calls for the establishment of a Global Alliance on Women in Agri Food Systems to advance gender responsive policies and institutional reforms across global food value chains.
The declaration commits stakeholders to create enabling environments that ensure women’s access to land, finance, technology, markets and digital innovations. It also emphasizes promoting leadership and entrepreneurship among women farmers and agri business leaders, encouraging gender responsive budgeting, strengthening the systematic collection of gender disaggregated data and establishing accountability mechanisms including periodic gender audits and transparent progress reporting.
The declaration further calls for stronger global collaboration to exchange successful models of women led transformation and scalable innovations that can be adopted across countries and agricultural systems.
R. S. Paroda emphasized that the empowerment of farm women must move beyond discussion and translate into concrete action through strong institutional support and gender responsive policies. He highlighted that women contribute nearly 60 to 70 percent of the agricultural labour force and play a central role in farm operations, livestock management and food production.
He stressed that improving women’s access to knowledge, training, credit, technology and markets is essential for ensuring food security, reducing poverty and building sustainable agri food systems.
Trilochan Mohapatra highlighted the vital yet often unrecognized contributions of women in conserving plant genetic resources and biodiversity. He noted that many women farmers act as custodians of traditional crop varieties and indigenous agricultural knowledge but rarely receive formal recognition or institutional support.
He called for stronger financial and institutional support to identify and empower these grassroots custodians, whose contributions are critical for preserving biodiversity and ensuring the sustainability of agricultural ecosystems.
Earlier in the conference, Rajbir Singh delivered the welcome address and emphasized that empowering women farmers is not only a matter of social equity but also a strategic requirement for sustainable agricultural growth. He said women play an important role across the entire agri food value chain, from production and processing to marketing and household nutrition.
He added that the recommendations emerging from the conference will help shape future policy directions, research priorities and collaborative initiatives aimed at strengthening women’s participation and leadership in agriculture at both national and global levels.
The conference featured nine thematic technical sessions focusing on key dimensions of women’s empowerment in agri food systems. These sessions addressed topics such as the role of global women trailblazers in agriculture, pathways to gender equality and social inclusion, disruptive technologies for gender transformative change, leadership development in the agri food sector and strategies for strengthening women’s economic participation.
Other sessions focused on improving women’s access to policy frameworks and markets, challenging stereotypes through the Women Farmers Forum and nurturing future leadership through the Youth Forum dedicated to young agri food innovators.
These discussions highlighted the importance of strengthening access to financial resources, improving women’s participation in value chains and promoting adoption of modern technologies to build inclusive and sustainable food systems.
The conference also witnessed participation from leading international experts representing global research and development organizations. Among them were Bram Govaerts, Director General of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Agnes Kalibata, Founder and Chair of Connect4Impact Advisory Group, Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, World Food Prize Laureate representing WorldFish, Julie Borlaug, President of the Borlaug Foundation, Maureen Miruka, Director Gender Equity Youth and Social Inclusion at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Josephine Okot, Vice Chair of the International Fertilizer Development Center and Managing Director of Victoria Seeds Limited, and Nitya Rao, Professor of Gender and Development at the University of East Anglia.
Delegates from 18 countries participated in the conference, highlighting its significance as a global platform for dialogue, collaboration and knowledge exchange focused on strengthening women’s roles across agri food systems.
Participants at the conference generated several key recommendations aimed at strengthening women’s leadership and entrepreneurship in agriculture. These included encouraging women to take leadership roles in scientific research, policymaking and development programmes while promoting science based policies and impact driven agricultural research.
Discussions also emphasized integrating agriculture, nutrition, health and environmental sustainability through frameworks such as One Health to build resilient food systems.
Delegates highlighted the need to simplify regulatory processes in seed value chains so that women farmers can transition from custodians of traditional knowledge to entrepreneurs. Expanding access to credit, growth finance and markets for women led enterprises was also identified as a critical step toward strengthening economic empowerment.
The conference also stressed the importance of institutional convergence among government programmes, research organizations, universities and the private sector to build integrated support systems for women farmers and agri entrepreneurs. Universities were identified as important hubs for innovation, incubation and entrepreneurship development.
Participants further emphasized the need to mainstream gender equality in agricultural policies, ensure women’s land rights and access to productive resources and strengthen gender responsive extension services.
The importance of bridging the digital divide was also highlighted. Delegates called for localized digital advisory platforms, improved digital literacy, climate resilient agricultural practices and new non farm livelihood opportunities for women in rural areas.
During the conference, successful women farmers, youth participants, school students and contributors to the agricultural sector were felicitated for their achievements and contributions.
The conference concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Rishi Tyagi, Conference Convener of The Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences, who expressed gratitude to dignitaries, participants, partners and organizing teams for making the conference a successful global platform for advancing gender equality in agriculture.
The conference was inaugurated on March 12, 2026 by Droupadi Murmu, President of India, in the presence of Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development. The inauguration underscored India’s commitment to recognizing and strengthening the role of women in agriculture and food systems.
