The Council for Agricultural and Agroindustrial Development of Jalisco (CDAAJ) launched the Tejiendo Campo (Knitting the Field) initiative to strengthen the productive, organizational and commercial capacities of rural women producers in the state, aiming to improve their integration into formal agricultural value chains.

Lorena Delgado, President, CDAAJ, said the agricultural sector cannot be analyzed in terms of competitiveness without recognizing women’s contributions. “The agricultural sector in Jalisco cannot be understood in terms of competitiveness without recognizing, strengthening and connecting the productive work of women.” she said while presenting the project in collaboration with Fundacion Marisa.

The initiative is designed to address not only training needs but also structural barriers that have historically limited women’s participation in agricultural markets. According to Delgado, the business agricultural sector is interested in projects that make women more visible within production chains and recognize their influence on the country’s food systems.

“According to FAO data, if women participated more in this sector, we could increase production by up to 30% and reduce the food insecurity gap.” The program combines rural extension services, organizational training, ongoing field support and formal connections with agricultural and agroindustrial value chains.

Paola Lazo, Director, Fundacion Marisa, said the initiative is designed as a comprehensive intervention rather than a standalone training course. “It is a comprehensive intervention that combines rural extension services, organizational training, continuous on-the-ground support and formal linkages with agricultural and agroindustrial value chains.” she said.

The project brings together civil society and private-sector actors in a coordinated effort to address structural challenges in the agricultural sector. Lazo added that the program incorporates a human-rights and gender perspective to avoid increasing the workload or invisibility of women’s labor.

After one year, the pilot phase aims to establish consolidated productive networks with clear organizational structures, products ready for formal commercialization and strengthened support systems capable of sustaining women’s economic participation.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Jalisco the state registered 11,130 women producers in 2024. Of these, 65% are engaged in crop production, 35% in livestock activities and only 1% in aquaculture and fisheries, with an average age of 53.

However, women still have limited control over agricultural operations. Of 4,700 production units in the state, only 17% are managed or directed by women. CDAAJ currently includes female vice presidents in several productive chains, including lemon, banana, mango, maize, vegetables and honey, as well as cross-cutting areas such as sustainability, regulation, youth and agroindustry.

Women’s Role in Agriculture

FAO declared 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer,  a global campaign aimed at recognizing women’s contributions to food systems and promoting policies that close persistent gender gaps in agriculture.

Women represent a major share of the global agricultural workforce. In 2021, agrifood systems employed 40% of working women worldwide, a proportion similar to that of men. Despite this, women often face more precarious working conditions and systemic barriers such as limited access to land, financing, technology, education and decision-making roles.

Máximo Torero, FAO Chief Economist  warned that progress toward gender equality in agrifood systems has stalled in the past decade. ““The cost of inaction is enormous. Recent estimates show that closing the gender gap in agriculture could increase global GDP by US$1 billion and reduce food insecurity for 45 million people.” he said.

FAO research shows that women farmers often work smaller plots of land and face a 24% productivity gap even when managing farms of similar size. Climate impacts also disproportionately affect women producers. Each day of extreme temperatures reduces the value of crops produced by women by 3% compared to men, and a 1°C increase in long-term average temperatures is associated with a 34% reduction in total income for female-headed households compared with male-headed households.

According to FAO, reducing gender disparities in employment, education and income could eliminate up to 52% of the global food insecurity gap between men and women and strengthen resilience across rural communities.

Source - https://mexicobusiness.news