Agenda Item: Exploring Global Food Systems through Women’s Empowerment: Addressing Inequality, Access, and Institutional and Traditional Barriers in Agriculture

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Food systems stand at the core of global stability, sustainability, and development, yet they remain deeply shaped by structural inequalities that limit women’s role in agriculture. Despite being essential to production and rural economies, women continue to face barriers in access to land, financial resources, decision-making mechanisms, and institutional representation.

This committee explores global food systems through the lens of women’s empowerment, challenging participants to address not only visible inequalities, but also the institutional and traditional structures that sustain them. From entrenched social norms to systemic gaps in policy implementation, these barriers continue to restrict the full participation and potential of women in agriculture.

As pressures from climate change, food insecurity, and economic instability intensify, the need to rethink who holds power within agricultural systems becomes increasingly urgent. Empowering women is no longer solely a matter of equity; it is a strategic necessity for building resilient, productive, and sustainable food systems on a global scale.

Operating within the FAO framework, discussions will move beyond surface-level solutions, focusing instead on practical, inclusive, and sustainable approaches that balance productivity with equity. Delegates will be expected to navigate the intersection of development and tradition, local realities and global priorities, and economic growth and social justice.

This is not merely a question of inclusion.
It is a question of redefining the systems that feed the world.