## 📈 Empowering Women Farmers: Sri Lanka’s 2026 Rural Agenda

The UN has declared 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, highlighting a critical shift from simple representation to active decision-making power for women in Sri Lanka’s agriculture and plantation sectors. • Current Landscape Women perform the bulk of planting, harvesting, and processing but remain underrepresented in leadership and underpaid. The sector faces "access gaps" in land tenure, formal finance, and technical extension services tailored to women's schedules. • Proven Impact of Modernization Data from FAO-supported initiatives (funded by Australia, Canada, EU, and UK) demonstrate high returns on targeted investment: Seed Paddy & Onion Production: Technical rain shelters and GAP training helped farmers like Malani Senehelatha and Priyanthi Kumari Ekanayake boost profitability and secure supermarket linkages. Yield Optimization: Modern equipment and training transformed quarter-acre plots into the equivalent yield of full acres. Climate Resilience: Adoption of climate-smart practices has proved vital for household food security during economic shocks. • Strategic Priorities for 2026 Accessible Training: Rescheduling extension services to respect care responsibilities and increasing the use of women trainers. Financial Inclusion: Implementing group-based financing and targeted guarantees to bypass traditional collateral barriers. Market Power: Moving women into higher-value segments of the value chain with better control over pricing and contracts. Data Accountability: Using gender-disaggregated data to track who actually receives credit, training, and services. • Economic Context National food security and rural resilience depend on transitioning women from "symbolic seats" in farmer organizations to roles with genuine agenda-setting authority.