The GCWAS 2026 (Global Conference on Women in Agri-Food Systems) concluded in New Delhi with a strong global call to strengthen women’s leadership, participation, and innovation across agriculture and agri-food systems.
The three-day international conference served as a key platform for dialogue among policymakers, scientists, development experts, and women leaders to advance gender-responsive policies and inclusive innovations across agri-food value chains.
The valedictory session of GCWAS 2026 was graced by Dr. M. L. Jat, Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), who attended as the Chief Guest.
Other dignitaries present included Dr. R. S. Paroda, Chairman of The Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS); Dr. Renu Swarup, Former Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India; Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Chairman of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA); and Dr. Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension), ICAR.
Also Read: AAHAR 2026: APEDA Launches Packaging Solutions and Research Reports to Boost Agri Exports
Addressing the gathering during GCWAS 2026, Dr. M. L. Jat emphasized that the conference represents the beginning of renewed action rather than the conclusion of discussions on gender equality in agriculture.
He highlighted the need to strengthen social science research and build a comprehensive gender-disaggregated data ecosystem across agri-food value chains to support evidence-based policymaking and address long-standing gender gaps.
Announcing a major initiative at GCWAS 2026, Dr. Jat informed that ICAR is developing a national gender platform that will connect more than 900 institutions across the country, including ICAR institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and agricultural universities.
The platform aims to strengthen research, extension services, and capacity-building initiatives focused on women in agriculture.
He noted that empowering women with knowledge, data, and decision-making roles can significantly enhance farm productivity, profitability, and sustainability.
He also called for stronger collaboration among institutions to translate the outcomes of GCWAS 2026 into tangible and long-term results.
Delhi Declaration Adopted at GCWAS 2026
During the valedictory session of GCWAS 2026, Dr. Renu Swarup presented the summary of the conference’s major recommendations and announced the adoption of the Delhi Declaration, which calls for the establishment of a Global Alliance on Women in Agri-Food Systems.
The declaration commits stakeholders to advancing gender-responsive policies and institutional reforms across agri-food value chains.
It also emphasizes strengthening enabling environments that ensure women’s access to land, finance, technology, markets, and digital innovations.
The GCWAS 2026 declaration further encourages promoting leadership and entrepreneurship among women farmers and agri-business leaders, implementing gender-responsive budgeting, and strengthening systems for the collection of gender-disaggregated data.
In addition, the declaration calls for the establishment of strong accountability mechanisms, including periodic gender audits and transparent reporting of progress.
It also encourages global exchange of scalable innovations and successful models of women-led transformation in agriculture.
Also Read: Idea2Impact: Rallis India Unveils Open Innovation Platform for Sustainable Agriculture
Empowering Women Farmers Central to Agri-Food Transformation
Speaking during GCWAS 2026, Dr. R. S. Paroda emphasized that empowering farm women must move beyond dialogue and translate into decisive action supported by strong institutions and gender-responsive policies.
He noted that women contribute nearly 60–70 percent of agricultural labour and stressed that improving women’s access to knowledge, markets, credit, and training is essential for achieving food security, poverty reduction, and sustainable agri-food systems.
Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra highlighted that many women who play a crucial role in conserving plant genetic resources and biodiversity often remain unrecognized despite their contributions to sustainable agriculture.
He called for stronger institutional and financial support to identify and empower these grassroots custodians.
Women Farmers Key to Sustainable Agricultural Growth
Earlier, delivering the welcome address at GCWAS 2026, Dr. Rajbir Singh stated that empowering women farmers is not merely an issue of equity but a strategic necessity for ensuring sustainable agricultural growth, food security, and rural prosperity.
He highlighted that women play a critical role across the entire agri-food value chain and their leadership is essential for building resilient and sustainable food systems.
According to him, the deliberations and recommendations emerging from GCWAS 2026 will help shape future policies, research priorities, and collaborative initiatives aimed at strengthening women’s participation and leadership in agri-food systems.
Technical Sessions at GCWAS 2026
The conference featured nine thematic technical sessions focusing on key dimensions of women’s empowerment in agri-food systems.
These sessions included:
- Interface with Global Women Trailblazers
- Driving Progress, Attaining New Heights
- Mainstreaming Gender Equality and Social Inclusion
- Emerging and Disruptive Technologies for Gender-Transformative Change
- Building Women Leadership in the Agri-Food Sector
- Empowering Women through Economic Inclusion
- Gender Dynamics in Policy and Market Access
- Women Farmers Forum – Breaking the Stereotypes
- Youth Forum: Nurturing the Next Generation of Agri-Food Leaders
These sessions at GCWAS 2026 collectively addressed issues such as strengthening women’s leadership, improving access to resources and markets, encouraging technology adoption, and promoting youth engagement for building inclusive and sustainable agri-food systems.
Global Participation in GCWAS 2026
The GCWAS 2026 conference witnessed participation from several international experts and leaders representing global research and development organizations.
Distinguished speakers included Dr Bram Govaerts, Director General of CIMMYT; Agnes Kalibata, Founder and Chair of Connect4Impact Advisory Group; Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, World Food Prize Laureate from WorldFish; Julie Borlaug, President of the Borlaug Foundation; Maureen Miruka, Director of Gender Equity, Youth and Social Inclusion at CIMMYT; Josephine Okot, Vice Chair of IFDC and Managing Director of Victoria Seeds Ltd.; and Nitya Rao, Professor of Gender and Development at the University of East Anglia.
A total of 18 countries participated in GCWAS 2026, reflecting the conference’s significance as a global platform for collaboration, dialogue, and knowledge exchange on advancing women’s empowerment in agri-food systems.
Key Recommendations from GCWAS 2026
Participants at GCWAS 2026 put forward several recommendations aimed at strengthening women’s leadership, entrepreneurship, and participation across agri-food systems.
Discussions highlighted the importance of encouraging women to assume leadership roles in science, policy, and development, while also promoting science-based policies and impact-driven research.
Delegates emphasized integrating agriculture, nutrition, health, and environmental sustainability under frameworks such as One Health to support inclusive and resilient development.
The conference also highlighted the need to strengthen women’s economic empowerment by simplifying regulatory processes in seed value chains and enabling women to transition from custodians to entrepreneurs.
Participants at GCWAS 2026 also stressed expanding women’s access to credit, growth finance, and markets to help scale women-led enterprises in agriculture.
The conference recommended stronger institutional convergence among government programmes, research institutions, universities, and the private sector to create integrated support systems for women farmers and agri-entrepreneurs.
Universities were identified as key hubs for innovation, incubation, and entrepreneurship development.
Additional recommendations from GCWAS 2026 included mainstreaming gender equality in policies, ensuring women’s land rights and access to productive resources, promoting women-friendly agricultural technologies, and strengthening gender-responsive extension systems.
Participants also highlighted the importance of bridging the digital divide through localized digital tools and advisory platforms, strengthening climate-resilient agriculture, improving digital literacy, and creating non-farm livelihood opportunities.
Strengthening Global Partnerships Through GCWAS 2026
The three-day international conference brought together policymakers, scientists, development partners, entrepreneurs, and women leaders to deliberate on strategies for empowering women across the agri-food value chain.
Organizers noted that the outcomes of GCWAS 2026 will help strengthen global partnerships, guide policy directions, and accelerate efforts to empower women farmers, scientists, and entrepreneurs worldwide.
During GCWAS 2026, successful women farmers, technical session participants, youth forum contributors, school students, and other individuals working in the agricultural sector were felicitated for their achievements.
The conference concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Rishi Tyagi, Conference Convener of TAAS, who expressed gratitude to dignitaries, participants, partners, and organizing teams for making GCWAS 2026 a successful and impactful global event.
