The contribution women farmers make to food production, and to pre-harvest and post-harvest activities, significantly boosts food security. However, that contribution can be overlooked.
The United Nations declared 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer to highlight the role women play in food security at the family, farm and community levels.
ACIAR has been a longtime supporter of research that empowers women in agriculture to improve their livelihoods and support food security for themselves, their families and their communities.
In this article, researchers speak about the ways ACIAR-supported projects are benefiting women as both farmers and leaders in their communities.
Improving opportunities in Solomon Islands
Smallholder farms are integral to life in many communities in Solomon Islands. An ACIAR-supported project has developed a Family Farm Team approach to support the livelihoods of farming families, particularly women.
This approach was part of a successful program in Papua New Guinea before being adapted for Solomon Islands. It aims to develop an equitable and effective way of sharing farming activities among family members.
Extension officers deliver agricultural training integrated with the Family Farm Team program. Modules include decision-making, communication, working as a team, family goals, planning and feeding the family farm team.
Associate Professor Deborah Hill is a researcher specialising in culture and linguistics at the University of Canberra and helped adapt the Family Farm Team program for Solomon Islands.
'With the Family Farm Team framework, women farmers in Solomon Islands were able to improve farm production, share the produce and earn an income,' said Associate Professor Hill.
'Often a small increase in family income can mean children can get a better education, a savings plan can be started or new seed bought to expand the farm.
By making the family farm a team project, women have a much greater say in its operation. Women and men communicate more effectively within their families, and food production increases.
Associate Professor Deborah Hill,
University of Canberra
Developing soil health knowledge in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, women are involved in many agricultural tasks, including sowing, harvesting, storage and processing. Culturally, they do not consider themselves to be 'farmers' and their contributions are often undervalued.
Women make up 57% of workers in Bangladesh's agricultural sector, which makes them essential participants in ACIAR-supported research to improve soil health and the productivity of the country's farming systems.
ACIAR has partnered with Bangladesh since the 1990s, focusing on food security initiatives including soil and land management programs. The latest research project aims to develop knowledge about soil health to improve resilience in farming systems.
Griffith University Research Professor Chengrong Chen, who is leading the project, said concepts of soil health and building resilient farming systems were relatively unknown in Bangladesh.
'Our first approach was to understand what farmers understand by soil health, and to fill those knowledge gaps to show how soil health can improve their ability to be more sustainable with the changes in the soil that are occurring,' said Professor Chen.
'We work with local extension teams such as the SAJIDA Foundation to ensure that the information is accessible and appropriate for women, as they are the ones undertaking the bulk of the farming.
By engaging with farm leader groups - 40% of whom are women - we work to develop a plan to introduce knowledge, tools and practices.
Professor Chengrong Chen,
Griffith University Research
'An evaluation program is also in place so that we can improve the technology and knowledge to sustain productivity and allow farmers to become more sustainable in the long term.'
Improving sheep and goat breeding in Ethiopia and Pakistan
In Ethiopia and Pakistan, women play a central role in caring for sheep and goats - livestock that underpin smallholder farms and household incomes. Recognising this, an ACIAR-supported project to strengthen animal husbandry and commercial production has made women's engagement a priority.
The project began in Ethiopia, with learnings taken to Pakistan.
Dr Aynalem Haile, Principal Scientist at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), said improving the knowledge of Ethiopian women on small ruminant husbandry has increased incomes and markets for families and communities.
'In Ethiopia, it is a deep-rooted tradition that men make the decisions. But, more often, it is the women who care for the herd and have the most knowledge about their animals,' said Dr Haile. 'When we worked with communities to establish priorities for genetic improvement, such as improved meat quality or milk production, the best information came from women.'
As part of the project, women-only groups focused on sheep and goat breeding to give women their own voice on herd development. Currently, 12 community-based breeding programs (CBBPs) exist, with more than 1,000 women involved.
'As a result of the CBBPs in Ethiopia, food security for the communities has improved through better milk production. The most recent program is to establish trade opportunities so that the herds can also be sold for meat and breeding,' said Dr Haile.
The biggest improvement is for the women themselves - the confidence it gives them. The respect earned from their communities is the biggest transformation.
Dr Aynalem Haile,
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)
The work in Ethiopia has provided the foundation for a similar program in Pakistan.
Starting in 2024, uptake in Pakistan has been far more rapid, due in part to the learnings in Ethiopia and women's acceptance of the concept of CBBPs. To date, 240 Pakistani households - 40 of which are led by women - are involved, with the outlook for further expansion in 2026.
The International Year of the Woman Farmer highlights the strength that women globally can bring to their families and communities through farming. Through these ACIAR-supported projects, it is evident that women play an unsung role in community farming and are finding their voice and confidence as farmers at a local level.
ACIAR Projects:
- 'Improving agricultural development opportunities for female smallholders in rural Solomon Islands' (SSS/2018/136);
- 'Developing and translating soil health information in Bangladesh with farmers and for farmers to build resilient agricultural systems' (SLAM/2021/107);
- 'Moving further towards formalised sheep and goat value chains in Pakistan and Ethiopia through business-oriented breeder and producer groups' (LA/2023/132)
