From policies to plates: Raya Tani Festival puts women farmers’ climate resilience in spotlight

Hosted by FAO, UN Women, PIJAR Foundation and World Food Forum Indonesia, the festival calls for stronger investments into women farmers amid the climate crisis

Jakarta, 31 October 2026 - Indonesian women farmers take centre stage at the Raya Tani Festival 2026 in Jakarta on Saturday (31/10), held to highlight their often-unrecognized vital roles and needs amid the climate crisis. The festival was organized by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and UN Women, along with youth-led organizations PIJAR Foundation and World Food Forum (WFF) Indonesia to commemorate the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 and World Food Day.

There are 14.8 million women farmers in Indonesia, accounting for 38 percent of farmers in the country, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data in 2025. Similarly, women farmers make up 41% of the global agrifood workforce according to FAO data. Despite their contributions, FAO’s global reports show that women farmers face unequal access to land, training, and financial services, on top of disproportionate impacts of climate change.

Raya Tani Festival 2026 aimed to amplify women farmers’ voices and expand their markets through a series of activities, including Suara Tani (Farmers Talks), Rembuk Tani (Policy Dialogue with Farmers), and Pasar Tani (Farmers Market). It was held at Jakarta’s arts, culture, and science hub Taman Ismail Marzuki.

Through Suara Tani, women farmers from coastal and urban communities presented their local initiatives in climate mitigation and adaptation, such as through the adoption of applicable technologies and community-based financing to protect their communities’ livelihoods as well as food and nutrition security, and the environment.

“The Raya Tani Festival 2026 tells the stories behind the food on our plates; these are stories of not only women farmers’ climate vulnerability but also of their resilience. The festival is a call for action for the government, development partners, private sector and the public at large to collectively close the gender gaps and invest in women farmers, which will benefit everyone,” said FAO Representative in Indonesia and Timor Leste Rajendra Aryal.

“Women farmers play a vital role in sustaining livelihoods, protecting biodiversity, and building climate resilience,” said Ulziisuren Jamsran, UN Women Indonesia Representative and Liaison to ASEAN. “The Raya Tani Festival 2026 is an opportunity to celebrate women farmers' leadership and contributions, amplify their voices, and draw greater attention among decision makers from public and private domains to invest in women farmers’ increased access to resources, technology, and decision making.”

A call for inclusive policies

Through Rembuk Tani, women farmers, government and academia representatives came together to map climate solutions, aiming not only to address women farmers’ needs in the face of climate change, but also the root causes of gender inequality.

“Food security and climate change are closely interconnected. In this context, the implementation of climate-smart agriculture becomes highly relevant. Enhancing agricultural productivity can be aligned with climate commitments. Therefore, capacity building in the field of climate-smart agriculture, coupled with expanded access to financing, seeds, and land for farmers, including young farmers and women farmers, is an absolute necessity,” said Fajar Nuradi, Assistant Deputy for Food Production and Climate Change at the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs.

“There are policy and programme examples such as the Ruang Bersama Indonesia (Indonesia Shared Space) and Women's Food Garden initiative, which aim to ensure women's resilience to climate change by making productive use of available land,” said Dewa Ayu Laksmiadi, Deputy Assistant for Gender Mainstreaming in Human Development, Culture, Community Empowerment, and Regional Development, Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection.

FAO’s report The Unjust Climate reveals that climate impacts are not gender neutral: every year, female-headed rural households in low- and middle-income countries lose 8 percent more of their income (37 billion) to heat stress and 3 percent more (16 billion annually) to flooding than male-headed households.

Closing the gender gaps is expected to raise global GDP by USD 1 trillion and reduce food insecurity for 45 million people according to FAO’s estimates.

A festival by and for everyone

Attendees of Raya Tani Festival 2026 also enjoyed a wide variety of fresh and value-added products by women farmers and producers from many parts of the country. They ranged from sago-based products in Riau to seaweed products from East Nusa Tenggara, and organic products from 19 provinces across the country.

Many of them represented FAO and UN Women’s partnerships with the government of Indonesia and local communities in sustainable production, including with mango farmers in East and West Java, tilapia producers in West Java, and women groups in West Nusa Tenggara.

The festival was kicked off with the final stage of the Youth Innovation Challenge 2026, where five selected Indonesian youths from over 90 participants presented their policy recommendations to drive agrifood systems’ climate resilience in the country, with a focus on Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI). This marked the second year the competition was held by FAO, Pijar Foundation, and WFF Indonesia.

“Women farmers do more than put food on the table. They give care, dignity, and hope for the next generation. Yet their contributions are too often met with limited access to land, capital, technology, training, and a voice in policymaking. Strength deserves support. Women should have the opportunities and resources to match their ambitions,” said Cazadira Fediva Tamzil, Executive Director of Pijar Foundation.

The United Nations declared 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer to spotlight the essential roles women play across agrifood systems, from production to trade. The Year aims to raise public awareness and promote actions to close the gender gaps and improve women’s livelihoods worldwide toward food security and economic resilience for all.