Justice in the Fields and in our Plates: Women’s rights as a driver of sustainable food systems transitions
5 March 2026, 14:00-16:00 (CEST), Online – On the occasion of the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 and in the lead-up to International Women’s Day, the CIHEAM and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) within the framework of the SFS-MED Platform, are co-organising a webinar entitled “Justice in the Fields and in our Plates: Women’s rights as a driver of sustainable food systems transitions”. The event will explore how women’s access to justice in rural areas and agrifood systems is a key enabler of fair, resilient and sustainable food systems across the Mediterranean.
Women play a central role in agrifood systems as farmers, workers, processors, traders and entrepreneurs, while also bearing a disproportionate share of unpaid care work that sustains food security. Yet their contributions remain structurally undervalued, and persistent gender inequalities in access to land, resources, finance, decent work and decision-making continue to limit both women’s empowerment and the sustainability of food systems.
Building on the policy momentum catalysed by the Regional Stakeholder Dialogue and Training on Empowering Women Entrepreneurs in the MENA Agro-Food Sector held in Cairo in October 2025, the webinar will highlight justice-based approaches to women’s empowerment – aligned with the CIHEAM–UfM Joint Draft Declaration on a Regional Agenda for Innovation for Women Entrepreneurs in the Agro-Food Value Chain, presented during the Cairo’s event.
Recent discussions within the SFS-MED Platform have shown that food systems transitions cannot rely solely on technical or environmental solutions. Without addressing structural inequalities, transitions risk reinforcing exclusion, particularly in rural areas. In this context, women’s access to justice – including legal empowerment, labour justice, dispute-resolution mechanisms and protection from violence and exploitation – is a defining condition for equitable and resilient transitions.
The webinar will also connect justice considerations to food environment policies and food justice debates, contributing to the global momentum of CSW70 and aligning with the United Nations International Women’s Day 2026 theme: “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls”.
Key topics of discussion
- Women’s access to justice in rural and agrifood contexts
- Justice-related barriers affecting women farmers and women workers
- Gender-responsive labour justice and grievance mechanisms
- Food justice, food environments and gender equality