Tempo.co, Jakarta – The United Nations has launched a campaign in Indonesia to strengthen the role of women farmers in climate resilience and food security, as global agencies push for greater recognition of women's contributions to agriculture and rural economies.
The initiative, led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and UN Women, began in West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, with training sessions and policy dialogues aimed at amplifying women farmers' voices and expanding their leadership in climate-resilient agriculture.
The campaign marks the start of activities tied to the International Year of the Woman Farmer, declared by the UN for 2026 to highlight gender gaps in agrifood systems and encourage policy reforms and investment.
According to FAO data, women account for 41 percent of the global agrifood workforce. However, women farmers continue to face unequal access to land, financial services, and agricultural training. FAO estimates women earn only 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, while the gender gap in land productivity reaches 24 percent.
In Indonesia, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) recorded that women make up 38 percent of the country's agricultural workforce, or around 14.81 million people. Yet many remain vulnerable to climate impacts and economic instability.
"Empowering women farmers means empowering communities. Their knowledge, experience, and community-led action are indispensable in addressing climate change and food insecurity that posed the greatest development challenges of our time," said Ulziisuren Jamsran, UN Women Indonesia Representative and Liaison to ASEAN.
"Year of Women Farmers is a timely opportunity to make women farmer's contribution visible, their leadership recognized, and the persistent barriers to their progress dismantled, so we may secure a sustainable future for all," she added.
FAO and UN Women said the campaign will expand to other regions in Indonesia throughout the year, focusing on sustainable agriculture, financial literacy, value-added processing, marketing, and women's leadership.
"Climate impacts are not gender neutral. FAO's reports show that women suffer from greater financial losses due to climatic shocks such as heat stress or flooding, even reaching billions of dollars annually, and they must work more hours compared to men," said Rajendra Aryal.
"When we close the gender gaps and invest in women, everyone benefits," he added.
In West Manggarai, the program was carried out in partnership with Yayasan Komodo Indonesia Lestari (Yakines), involving 25 women farmers in training on sustainable agriculture and climate adaptation.
Participants also called for stronger support for climate-smart agriculture and local food systems, while urging governments to ensure women and youth are included in policy decisions.
"As women, we urgently need practical information and knowledge on concrete actions we can take to mitigate and adapt to climate change," said Siti Sadyatun, a women farmers' leader in the regency.
Yakines Program Coordinator Ferdinandus Mau Manu said vulnerable groups, especially women, youth, older persons, and people with disabilities, are among those most affected by climate change.
He said Yakines has been working at the grassroots level to promote climate-smart agriculture, sustainable food systems, and women's leadership in building local resilience.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2102456/fao-un-women-launch-women-farmers-climate-campaign-in-indonesi