International Year of the Woman Farmer

MDAR is pleased to designate and recognize 2026 as the “International Year of the Woman Farmer.” Designated by the UN General Assembly as well, the International Year aims to spotlight the realities faced by women farmers and drive policy reforms and investment to advance gender equality, empower women, and build more resilient local food systems.

This campaign focuses on four pillars critical to the continued and expanded success of women in agriculture.

• Land: Policies that ensure equitable access to land ownership, leasing rights and inheritance laws.
• Credit and Markets: Inclusive lending models, strengthening cooperative networks and investing in female-led agribusinesses.
• Technology: Bridging the digital divide with tailored tools, mobile-based services and inclusive innovation.
• Resources and Training: Investing in gender-responsive training programs, mentorship opportunities and educational resources.

Women have always been central to agriculture—economically, ecologically, and culturally—even though their contributions are often undervalued or rendered invisible. Their role goes far beyond helping on farms; women are innovators, stewards of biodiversity, and anchors of food systems around the world.

According to the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, women made up 43% of Massachusetts's farm producers (5,691 women), showing a strong presence in the state's agricultural sector, with women consistently increasing as principal operators over the years, highlighting their growing role despite historical underrepresentation in data.

Globally, women make up a large share of the agricultural workforce. They are deeply involved in planting, harvesting, seed selection, livestock care, food processing, and marketing. Research consistently shows that when women farmers have equal access to land, credit, education, and technology, farm productivity increases and hunger and poverty decline. In short, investing in women in agriculture strengthens families, communities, and entire economies.

Women also play a critical role in climate resilience. Their close daily interaction with land and water gives them practical knowledge about soil health, weather patterns, and sustainable resource use. This knowledge is increasingly important as agriculture adapts to climate change.

Indigenous women, in particular, are keepers of agricultural knowledge developed over generations. Their practices are rooted in relationships with land, seasons, and ecosystems rather than extraction or short-term yield. Indigenous women have traditionally been responsible for seed saving and selective breeding, preserving biodiversity through crops adapted to local climates. Many staple foods—such as maize, beans, squash, potatoes, and various grains—were domesticated, cultivated, and refined through Indigenous knowledge systems, often led by women.

Their agricultural practices emphasize intercropping, polycultures, and regenerative approaches that maintain soil fertility and protect ecosystems. For example, systems like companion planting and rotational land use reduce pests naturally and sustain productivity without heavy chemical inputs. These methods, now championed in sustainable and regenerative agriculture movements, reflect Indigenous women’s long-standing ecological wisdom.

Beyond food production, Indigenous women’s agricultural roles are tied to cultural continuity. Farming is intertwined with ceremony, language, and community responsibilities, making agriculture a means of preserving identity and sovereignty as well as nourishing people.

Women are essential to agriculture as producers, decision-makers, and innovators. Recognizing and supporting their knowledge is not just a matter of equity—it is vital to building resilient, just, and sustainable food systems for the future. Join us in honoring and celebrating the contributions of women farmers in Massachusetts by exploring honorees in the interactive map below.

If you would like to be considered for this opportunity, or to nominate a woman farmer, please fill out our nomination form here.

Massachusetts Woman Farmers

Laura Abrams

Laura literally grew up in her family's greenhouse business, J.P. Bartlett's Greenhouse, and was expected to help out whenever she and her siblings were able with tasks like stamping labels with plant variety names on each pot, picking out plants for delivery, loading trucks, and of course, watering everything. For her, working in agriculture means you never know what the challenges ahead will be and the best laid plans can change in a heartbeat. That said, it is a job she finds rewarding anything but routine. More about Laura here.

Dawn Gates-Allen

Dawn is a fourth-generation cranberry grower who currently is the owner of Freetown Farm, where she works alongside her husband, Fred (married for nearly 40 years), their two daughters Nicole and Mariah, two sons-in-law and two brothers. Dawn has been an active member of the cranberry-growing industry, serving on the Cranberry Marketing Committee as well as working at the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association. More details of Dawn here.

Cindy Bertrand

Cindy Bertrand who owns The Farmer's Daughter in Auburn was born on a dairy farm and is the third generation of her family to take up farming. Her love of animals started at a young age when her grandfather gave her a bottle baby lamb that she named Daisy and even took her to kindergarten! More about Cindy here.

Anne Diemand Bucci and Tessa White-Diemand

Anne Diemand Bucci and her daughter, Tessa White-Diemand are natives of Wendell in Western Massachusetts, where they run Diemand Farm, and are a shining example of multigenerational farming at its best and how farming strengthens the bonds of their family. More about of Anne and Tessa here.

Natalie Ferjulian

Natalie Ferjulian who co-owns and operates Ferjulian's Farm, is a multi-generational family farm that's dedicated to growing high quality flowers, fruits and vegetables. She has loved flowers since her father handed her a dahlia catalogue as a child and let her pick new tuber varieties to trial. More about Natalie here.

Missy Leab

Growing up in Pennsylvania, Missy's fondest memories were spent on her uncle's dairy farm where she saw first hand how farming fosters deep family connections and a true sense of community. When she married into her husband, Rob's farming family, she took her childhood experiences and applied them to the running of Ioka Valley Farm. More about Missy here.

Joan Walker

Joanie is relatively new to farming but in a little over a decade, has established herself as a premier purveyor of high quality, locally raised Grass-fed beef from the cows on her family farm. Her products have been served at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City. More about Joan here.

*If you would like to be considered for this opportunity, or have a female farmer in mind you’d like to have highlighted, please fill out our nomination form here.