China Agricultural University (CAU), Women's Studies Institute of China (WSIC) and the Chinese offices of several UN agencies jointly held the Forum on Women in Agrifood (FoWA) of 2025 World Agrifood Innovation Conference in Pinggu District of Beijing on October 14.
Themed "Science and Technology Empowering Women," FoWA was a side event of the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women. Over 20 people from international agencies, agricultural enterprises, universities and research institutions were invited to engage in dialogues and exchanges over relevant topics. More than 200 guests in person, from different countries and regions, attended the event in Beijing and over one million people attended via internet links.
Attendees said that digital tools, smart agriculture and innovative platforms are reshaping rural economy and that technological innovations have not only increased the productivity and incomes of women but also helped them become pioneers in agricultural transformation. They added that Chinese women have been an indispensable force in achieving rural revitalization and enhancing the country's agricultural strength. Women have showed wisdom, resilience and responsibility in driving green-oriented agricultural transformation and sci-tech innovation.
The topics of keynote addresses included "policies and practices of international multilateral institutions in promoting gender equality and women's empowerment," "innovative practices in women's development in the Asia-Pacific region," "potential and achievements of Chinese women in addressing climate change," and "women's contribution to agricultural development in Africa."
Sudha Gooty, Senior Adviser of Gender Equality in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said it is time for the international community to place women in the core position of climate-smart innovation and food system transformation with concrete actions after the Beijing World Conference on Women was held 30 years ago.
Loise Waruguru Maina, Chief Expert of Gender and Inclusive Social Development in the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), introduced the implementation of gender equality in the agricultural sector is projected to increase global GDP by one percent per year and lift about 45 million people worldwide out of hunger.
Wang Binbin, an associate research fellow and PhD from the Institute for Carbon Neutrality at Peking University, underscored the potentials and unique contributions made by Chinese women in addressing climate change.
Agnes Kalibata, founder of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), talked about typical cases that happened in Tanzania and Malawi to integrate women's development with development of local communities. She called on governments and social organizations to take actions, especially in supporting relevant research on women's development, empowering women and resolving major issues detrimental to their further development.
Representatives from the UN World Food Programme (WFP), WSIC, CAU, the Ant Foundation, Wens Foodstuff Group Co., Ltd, and US agricultural chemical and seed company Corteva Agriscience held in-depth dialogues and shared with each other practical experiences and innovative approaches at the panel discussions titled "policy & resource synergies" and "technology and innovation for women's empowerment" respectively.
Several speakers emphasized that the Chinese government has adopted comprehensive legal and policy systems to help women take part in agricultural production and high-quality development of rural areas and benefit from modernization drive on an equal footing. China has also taken solid measures and actions to get rural women out of poverty, empower women via technical training, support their entrepreneurship and employment with inclusive financial services, advance their all-round development, alleviate gender disparities and narrow down rural-urban development gap. Meanwhile, many China-aided South-South cooperation projects in the agricultural sector have become new drivers of the agricultural development in other developing nations and created fresh opportunities for women to become involved in agricultural production.
Organizers urged the international community to work hand in hand in the implementation of the four key proposals made by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women, seize the opportunities brought by a new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation, empower women through technological innovation, build practical platforms for women, and strive for the realization of global food security as well as the sustainable development goals. "We shall carry out research and dialogues in policy formulation and technological innovation to narrow down gender disparities in the agricultural sector and promote women's development as well as gender equality."
(Source: China Women's News/Translated by Women of China)
Editor: Lei Yang
