“We are either going to have a future where women lead the way to make peace with the Earth or we are not going to have a human future at all.”
― Vandana Shiva
Today, on International Women’s Day, we celebrate the inspiring women that our organization has been connecting and working with over the past year and a half. However, March 8th is not just a day for women*—it is a day for all of us. This is because the pressing challenges our planet faces—climate change, rapid biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation—are deeply intertwined with gender inequality.
From agriculture to conservation and water management, women and girls—particularly those in Indigenous and marginalized communities - stand on the frontline of climate change. Yet, their leadership in government and other key decision-making spaces remains underrepresented and undervalued. If we are to find real, sustainable solutions to these crises, advancing gender equality and equity is non-negotiable.
Women at the frontline
Across the continents of our world, women play a vital role in our human-to-nature relationship and environmental stewardship, from food systems, to natural medicine, to water management. Women are most likely to be the ones responsible for fresh water in their households [WHO], for example, they produce between 60-80 percent of the food in most developing countries, and they are responsible for half of the world’s food production [FAO]. Indigenous women also safeguard traditional ecological knowledge - sharing the living library of nature-based solutions - which is essential for ensuring the survival of pollinators, seeds, as well as entire ecosystems. All this intimate knowledge of local ecosystems and their proximity to environmental changes, often make them the first to notice and experience the impacts of climate change related processes, while also the first to bear the brunt from deforestation, pollution, or droughts [WWF].
Yet, despite their crucial role, women continue to face systemic barriers to financial resources, leadership positions, and land ownership due to entrenched patriarchal structures. Female farmers in developing countries, for instance, rarely have equal access to financing, markets, or education. Women also tend to have significantly less influence—if any—over household spending and the land they cultivate [Heifer] - let alone equitable representation at the governmental level.
Women as Agents of Change
This inequality harms us all because women are key to fostering resilience and mitigating climate change. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), if women had equal access to agricultural resources, they could increase their farm yields by 20–30%, potentially lifting 100–150 million people out of hunger [World Bank, FAO & CARE]. Such gains would also reduce the pressure to clear forests for farmland, protecting vital wild ecosystems and preserving biodiversity.
However, the unlocked potential of women’s leadership extends beyond local initiatives. When women shape global climate policies, lead environmental movements, and drive change in business and politics, the impact is profound. Research shows that women’s leadership and participation are essential for effective, long-term solutions to environmental challenges, as well as intersecting issues like public health, education, and social justice [Leisher et al.; Mavisakalyan et al.].
There is also growing evidence that women improve political decision-making. A study in India found that areas with women-led councils had 62% more drinking water projects than those led by men, for example [UN Women; Chattopadhyay & Duflo (2004)]. Additionally, countries with higher proportions of women in parliament are more likely to ratify international climate agreements and adopt stronger environmental policies. Finally, gender-diverse businesses also tend to invest more in renewable energy and sustainability initiatives [UN].
Just imagine the innovative solutions that could emerge if more women from developing countries and Indigenous backgrounds had access to resources, training, and leadership opportunities in this sector... The world would unlock so many previously unheard voices and gain new perspectives that could, and will, help inform climate change strategies, environmental action, community engagement and education just to name a few. All whilst benefiting not just the rights of women and girls, but the communities they are part of.
Investing in Women is Investing in the Future
“Gender equality...is a driver of sustainable development in all its dimensions, from ending poverty and hunger to promoting prosperity and inclusive growth; [from] building peaceful, just and inclusive societies to securing the protection of the planet and its natural resources.” — UN Women report, “Turning Promises Into Action: Gender Equality In The 2030 Agenda For Sustainable Development”
At Greenseed, we believe that investing in women is investing in the future of our planet. This means ensuring women have equal access to education, financial resources, and leadership roles in environmental decision-making. It means that funding climate-smart agricultural programs that support women farmers, conservationists, activists, and educators. It means amplifying the voices of Indigenous women safeguarding biodiversity. It means closing the gender gap in data collection to ensure that policies are built on evidence, not exclusion [UN Women].
We are not here to ‘empower’ women, as we recognize that women have always been leaders, healers, protectors, and innovators. But now, more than ever, it is important that we recognize them as architects of a sustainable future, and treat them as such. On this International Women’s Day, we invite you to join Greenseed. Get involved if you can. Support women-led climate initiatives. Share this message with a friend or organization that can help amplify our work.
Because when more women lead, we all thrive.
Footnote:
*Our definition of ‘women’ includes cisgender women, femme/feminine-identifying individuals, Two-Spirit, trans, genderqueer, and non-binary people who have historically been excluded from environmental spaces.
Sources:
Chattopadhyay, R., & Duflo, E. (2004). Women as policy makers: Evidence from a randomized policy experiment in India. Econometrica, 72(5), 1409–1443. https://www.nber.org/papers/w8902
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). (2023). Women in agriculture: Closing the gender gap for development. https://www.fao.org/family-farming/detail/en/c/1634537/
FAO & CARE International. (2019). Levelling the field: Improving opportunities for women farmers in Africa. https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/12b7a61d-9af6-4a3b-98ad-6b9024763536/content
Heifer International. (2024). Why are women important in farming? https://www.heifer.nl/en/blog/why-are-women-important-in-farming/
Leisher, C., Temsah, G., Booker, F., et al. (2016). Does the gender composition of forest and fishery management groups affect resource governance and conservation outcomes? A systematic map. Environmental Evidence, 5(6). https://environmentalevidencejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13750-016-0057-8
Mavisakalyan, A., & Tarverdi, Y. (2019). Gender and climate change: Do female parliamentarians make a difference? European Journal of Political Economy, 56, 151–164. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0176268017304500
Solidaridad. (2024). Rightfully hers: Strengthening women's participation in agriculture. https://www.solidaridadnetwork.org/publications/rightfully-hers-strengthening-womens-participation-in-agriculture/
UN Women. (2024). Facts and figures: Women's leadership and political participation. https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/facts-and-figures/facts-and-figures-womens-leadership-and-political-participation
World Bank. (2014). Levelling the field: Improving opportunities for women farmers in Africa. https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/publication/levelling-the-field-improving-opportunities-for-women-farmers-in-africa
World Health Organization (WHO). (2023). Women and girls bear brunt of water and sanitation crisis - New UNICEF WHO report. https://www.who.int/news/item/06-07-2023-women-and-girls-bear-brunt-of-water-and-sanitation-crisis---new-unicef-who-report
WWF. (2023). The role of women in conservation: An understated representation. https://wwf.panda.org/?13670966/The-role-of-women-in-conservation-An-understated-representation.
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