The Agro Woman Foundation supports the development of women in agriculture, food processing, and agribusiness in Poland. Our efforts align with global initiatives led by the United Nations and the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), both of which recognize the crucial role women play in building sustainable and resilient food systems.
The UN and FAO consistently emphasize that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – particularly those aimed at ending hunger, poverty, and combating climate change – cannot be achieved without the active participation of women. Agro Woman’s initiatives in Poland respond to the same priorities and challenges that the FAO addresses on a global scale.
How does the FAO support women in agriculture?
FAO operates on multiple levels, using three complementary tools:
- Reports that provide reliable data and in-depth insight into the status of women in food systems;
- Public campaigns that raise awareness and encourage mindset shifts; and
- Recommendations that outline concrete actions governments, institutions, and organizations can take to genuinely support women in agriculture.
Key FAO Initiatives
FAO: “The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems” – Facts That Speak for Themselves
FAO’s 2023 report, The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems, presents a comprehensive picture of women’s roles in food systems worldwide.
Key findings include:
- Women make up over 36% of the workforce in food systems, but they face lower chances of stable employment, promotion, and higher wages.
- They still have limited access to resources such as land, credit, training, and new technologies.
- When women have equal access to productive resources, their farms can achieve yields 20–30% higher.
- The report also shows that investing in women in the agri-food sector could reduce the number of undernourished people globally by 45 million.
“Commit to Grow Equality” – A Global Pledge for Equality
Through the Commit to Grow Equality campaign, FAO calls on governments, institutions, and civil society to take concrete action toward gender equality in the agri-food sector.
Key focus areas of the campaign include:
- Equal access to knowledge, technology, and productive resources
- Preventing economic and social exclusion
- Recognizing and strengthening the role of women in food value chains
Agro Woman is actively implementing these principles in Poland, offering targeted support to women in the agro sector through mentoring, education, and network building.
What Does FAO Recommend? Five Pillars of Change
In the publication Commit to Grow Equality: A Call for Action, FAO identifies five strategic directions for governments and organizations supporting women in agriculture:
- Integrating gender perspectives into agricultural and food-related public policies
- Facilitating women’s access to finance, markets, and technological tools
- Empowering women as decision-makers – on farms, in organizations, and communities
- Providing social infrastructure – childcare, public services, and transport
- Collecting and analyzing gender-disaggregated data – as a foundation for effective solutions
The Agro Woman Foundation puts these goals into practice – creating space for growth, education, and collaboration among women in agriculture in Poland.
Working locally in Poland, the Agro Woman Foundation actively supports women in the agri-food sector through mentoring, education, and building networks of cooperation. Our efforts contribute directly to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – working together toward a fairer, more resilient, and sustainable agriculture where women have real influence and equal opportunities for advancement.
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