Women farmers’ organisations and civil society representatives from across Asia have proposed stronger land tenure protections, improved access to climate finance and greater investment in women-led agriculture, as a regional gathering in Cambodia developed draft action plans to address persistent gender inequalities in agricultural development.
The proposals emerged from the final two days of the “Women Farmer at the Center: Land Use, Agro-Ecology, and Climate Resilience in Asia” regional workshop, held from October 14 to 17.
The workshop brought together government representatives, farmers’ organisations, Indigenous communities, civil society groups and international development partners from 13 countries, including Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Timor-Leste, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Mongolia.
The gathering identified insecure land tenure, unequal ownership, limited access to finance and technology, climate-related risks and inadequate participation in decision-making as major barriers preventing women farmers from fully benefiting from agricultural development.
Cambodia outlines four-year roadmap
The Cambodian delegation presented a draft roadmap for 2027–2030, developed from more than 20 earlier documents and discussions, with the aim of strengthening women’s rights as landholders, agricultural producers and leaders in natural resource governance.
It proposed four strategic action areas covering legal and policy reform, capacity development, networking and advocacy, and sustainable investment.
Proposed activities include reviewing land-related laws and policies, strengthening women’s legal awareness, expanding agroecological training, supporting farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchanges and improving access to financing beyond conventional debt-dependent arrangements.
The Cambodian presentation highlighted the importance of coordination among the ministries responsible for agriculture, women’s affairs and the environment, alongside civil society organisations and development partners.
The roadmap remains a draft, requiring further consultation, legal verification, financial costing and formal endorsement before implementation.
Soeung Saroeun, executive director of the NGO Forum on Cambodia and chair of the International Land Coalition (ILC) Asia Steering Committee, believed that the gathering demonstrated the importance of recognising women as rights holders and agricultural leaders.
Speaking during the closing ceremony on October 17, he stressed that women needed opportunities to exercise their rights, access education, technology and financial resources, and participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their livelihoods.
He described the Cambodian roadmap as a foundation for further cooperation at national, regional and global levels, rather than the conclusion of the process.
Regional groups prioritise land security
Two regional groups also presented proposals addressing common challenges faced by women farmers across Asia.
Wida, representing the first regional group, outlined priorities including stronger safeguards against land grabbing, equitable land registration, meaningful participation in land-related decisions and improved government accountability.
The group called for effective application of free, prior and informed consent principles, particularly where development activities affect indigenous communities and customary land rights.
It also proposed regular dialogue among governments, civil society organisations and communities, alongside greater recognition of locally collected evidence on land ownership and natural resource management.
The second regional group, whose presentation was delivered by Shruti, emphasised strengthening national land coalitions, developing grassroots leadership and connecting local advocacy with regional and international land-rights initiatives.
Its proposals included capacity development for community land defenders, evidence-based advocacy and mechanisms to monitor progress on women’s land rights.
Alice Morris, co-chair of the ILC Asia Steering Committee, noted that the Cambodian presentation had provided a detailed implementation framework that could inform regional planning.
“The Cambodian presentation is totally, I mean, like they have thought through the entire process, the time frame and everything,” she said.
Morris identified several common priorities across the regional presentations, including secure land tenure, women-friendly agricultural technologies, knowledge sharing, market access and collective leadership.
“I think that’s a very important thing which we need to invest in: Collective leadership, collective power,” she said.
She also urged stronger gender-responsive budgeting and social protection, noting that women’s unpaid care responsibilities and different social circumstances must be considered in agricultural policies.
Government urges gender-responsive climate action
Ministry of Environment secretary of state Mom Thany, who formally closed the workshop, proposed six strategic directions to strengthen women’s participation in environmental governance and climate resilience.
These included integrating gender considerations into environmental policies and budgets, improving women’s leadership in natural resource management and strengthening access to climate information, early warning systems and disaster preparedness.
She also called for greater support for women-led agroecology, biodiversity conservation, green technologies and climate finance, with safeguards to ensure communities receive fair benefits.
Thany highlighted experiences from the workshop’s field visits, including mangrove conservation and community fisheries, pepper production using solar-powered technologies, and agricultural cooperative activities.
She said environmental conservation and livelihood improvement could reinforce each other when women and communities had meaningful roles in managing natural resources.
Her recommendations also emphasised gender-disaggregated data, participatory monitoring and stronger accountability to ensure that policy commitments produce measurable results.
Linking local priorities to global climate action
Anu Verma, ILC Asia regional coordinator, said the coalition had identified three priorities for 2027 and its subsequent 2028–2030 planning period.
These were strengthening national land coalitions, connecting international environmental agreements with national implementation, and continuing ecosystem restoration and conservation initiatives.
She said ILC intended to consult member organisations on the support they required to engage with governments on national instruments associated with the three Rio Conventions, covering climate change, biodiversity and desertification.
Verma also highlighted opportunities for grassroots representatives to participate in international climate finance discussions, including engagement involving Central Asian pastoralist communities and the Green Climate Fund.
During the closing ceremony, she emphasised that improving women’s participation required more than increasing attendance at meetings.
She called for deeper changes in the control of land, resources, benefits and decision-making, alongside adequate budgets and accountability mechanisms to support existing legal protections.
Altantuya Tseden-Ish, a member of the ILC Asia Steering Committee and ILC Global Council, also highlighted the challenges faced by pastoralist women, particularly regarding customary land tenure, grazing areas, water resources and participation in rangeland management.
She urged governments and development partners to use international initiatives on women farmers and pastoralists to deliver concrete improvements in women’s rights and livelihoods.
The gathering concluded with calls for participating organisations to strengthen cooperation, refine the proposed action plans and mobilise resources for implementation.
Although the regional proposals and Cambodia’s 2027–2030 roadmap provide a basis for future action, the workshop proceedings do not establish that they were formally endorsed or funded.
Participants stressed that sustained government engagement, adequate financing, stronger grassroots leadership and measurable accountability would be essential to translating the proposed plans into improvements for women farmers across Asia.