The Global Conference on Women in Agri-Food Systems (GCWAS-2026) concluded in New Delhi with a renewed global commitment to strengthen women’s leadership, participation and innovation in agriculture and food systems. The three-day conference focused on advancing gender-responsive policies, inclusive technologies and sustainable agricultural development.
The valedictory session was attended by M. L. Jat, who emphasized that the conference marks the beginning of concrete actions toward building gender-responsive agri-food systems. He highlighted the need for stronger social science research and a robust gender-disaggregated data ecosystem across agricultural value chains to support evidence-based policymaking.
Dr. Jat also announced that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research is developing a national gender platform that will connect more than 900 institutions, including ICAR institutes, agricultural universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendras, to strengthen research, extension services and capacity-building initiatives for women in agriculture.
During the session, Renu Swarup presented the key recommendations of the conference and announced the adoption of the Delhi Declaration, which proposes the creation of a global alliance to promote gender-responsive policies, strengthen women’s access to land, finance, technology and markets, and promote leadership and entrepreneurship among women farmers.
R. S. Paroda stressed that empowering farm women requires stronger institutional support and policy reforms, noting that women contribute nearly 60–70 percent of agricultural labour. Trilochan Mohapatra highlighted the crucial but often unrecognized role of women in conserving plant genetic resources and biodiversity.
Earlier, Rajbir Singh said empowering women farmers is not only a matter of equity but also essential for sustainable agricultural growth and rural prosperity.
The conference featured nine technical sessions covering themes such as gender equality, emerging technologies, women’s leadership in agriculture, economic inclusion, policy and market access, and youth engagement in agri-food systems.
Experts and leaders from 18 countries participated in the event, including representatives from international organizations such as CIMMYT and WorldFish.
GCWAS-2026 was inaugurated on March 12 by Droupadi Murmu in the presence of Shivraj Singh Chouhan, highlighting India’s commitment to strengthening the role of women in agriculture and food systems.
The conference concluded with a call for stronger global partnerships, policy reforms and collaborative initiatives to empower women farmers, scientists and agri-entrepreneurs worldwide.
Nurturing Creativity – Keekli Charitable Trust, Shimla
