Promoting Women’s Roles and Economic Empowerment in Global Agri-food Value Chains

On the morning of 11 December in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) of Viet Nam convened the APEC Workshop on “Best Practices of Women’s Participation in Global Agri-food Value Chains toward Sustainable Development and Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment.”

In his opening remarks, Dr. Nguyễn Anh Phong, Deputy Director General of the Institute of Strategy and Policy for Agriculture and Environment under MAE, emphasized that women account for approximately 40% of the global agricultural workforce, and up to 50% in many regions. However, they continue to face persistent systemic barriers, including limited access to land, credit, science and technology; fewer opportunities to participate in management and leadership positions; and unequal benefits from agri-food value chains. These challenges are becoming even more pronounced in the context of climate change, green transition, and the need for new growth models.

Dr. Nguyen Anh Phong delivered the opening remarks at the workshop

Meanwhile, APEC has identified gender equality and women’s economic empowerment as key strategic priorities, reflected in the La Serena Roadmap for Women and Inclusive Growth, the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040, the Aotearoa Plan of Action, and goals related to food security, inclusive growth, and sustainable development. Viet Nam has demonstrated strong commitment to advancing these priorities and is proud to serve as the lead economy for the APEC project ATCWG-101-2024A, which aims to promote best practices for women’s participation in agri-food value chains and contribute to the transition toward a low-carbon economy.

The participants attending the workshop

The workshop is one of the core activities of the project and is designed to achieve multiple objectives. These include sharing experiences and best practices in gender mainstreaming and capacity building for women along value chains; discussing structural barriers—ranging from institutional and financial constraints to technological and market access issues—in order to identify feasible solutions and opportunities for regional cooperation; strengthening linkages among APEC economies, businesses, cooperatives, and women-led organizations to scale up sustainable, innovative, and climate-resilient business models; and shaping policy recommendations to enhance women’s roles in agri-food value chains and promote climate-smart agriculture initiatives.

“Viet Nam believes that women’s economic empowerment not only helps narrow gender gaps, but also serves as a critical driver of productivity, climate resilience, and the sustainability of global food systems. We hope this workshop will open new avenues for cooperation within APEC and lay a foundation for the broad application of recommendations in both policy and practice across member economies,” Dr. Nguyễn Anh Phong stated.

The two-day workshop features multiple sessions and dozens of presentations by scientists, speakers, and agribusiness representatives from APEC member economies. Participants are sharing global and regional best practices while identifying gender gaps and barriers faced by women in agri-food value chains. Speakers from APEC economies are also presenting national policies, priorities, and actions to empower women in these value chains, as well as sharing experiences, policy approaches, and challenges.

During the workshop, Ms. Nguyễn Kim Hành, Agriculture Director of PepsiCo Foods Viet Nam, presented the company’s sustainable potato production model

In addition, participants are hearing success stories and lessons learned from women-led agribusinesses, reviewing reports on best practices and project research findings, and validating key policy recommendations