The Changemaker Awards Finalists
The 2026 Changemaker Awards received many applications from all over the world: A clear sign of how many people and organizations are working to put women at the center of agriculture’s future.
Narrowing that down wasn’t easy, but after careful consideration by our international jury, three finalists have been selected in each of three award categories: Innovation, Community Impact, and Sustainability.
Thank you to everyone who applied
Every application represented real work. We recognize the effort behind each one and are grateful to everyone who took the time to apply. Whether shortlisted or not, all of the applicant projects continue to create meaningful change for women in agriculture.
Introducing the 2026 Changemaker finalists
The Changemaker Awards 2026 spotlight initiatives advancing the vital role of women in agriculture and breaking down the barriers they face in three categories:
Changemaker Award for Innovation
Celebrating the initiatives that introduced practical, on-farm innovations helping women farm more effectively.
AgriEdge
Morocco
AgriEdge is opening a new professional path for women in Moroccan agriculture. It is training them to pilot drones for crop monitoring, precision spraying, and field analysis while preparing them for modern, better-paid technical roles like drone technician and precision agriculture operator. About 20 women have completed training so far, with more cohorts planned nationally and a long-term vision to expand across Africa.
Smart Agriculture IWATA Co., Ltd
Japan
As Japan’s agricultural sector works to attract new generations to farming, Smart Agriculture IWATA has built a growing operation that puts people at the center of its approach. By automating environmental controls and using data to standardize cultivation, the team has reduced physical demands and made farming practices less dependent on individual experience. The company has also introduced maternity and childcare leave, annual leave comparable to other industries, and opportunities to work remotely where possible. Today, women represent 66% of the company’s workforce and hold half of its frontline leadership roles.
Supply Chain In-Sites
Thailand/UK
When Supply Chain In-Sites reviewed an existing low-carbon rice scheme, they found farmer compliance below 3%. In response, they developed a free mobile app that enables 75 Thai rice farmers, more than 60% of whom are women, to verify their own low-carbon practices with a photo and a location pin instead of a paper logbook. The initiative has resulted in a verified 36% reduction in carbon emissions, a 25% drop in water use, and compliance rates of more than 97%. Farmers also received payment for using the app, in addition to a guaranteed purchase of their rice.
Changemaker Award for Community Impact
Recognizing efforts that empower women, foster inclusivity and strengthen fair, resilient farming communities.
FKKB Sahakari Samiti Ltd
India
In the Jaunsar hills of Uttarakhand, FKKB Sahakari Samiti is helping women farmers strengthen their role in local agriculture and gain greater control over the value of what they produce. Through a cooperative and a “Market on Wheels” model that collects crops directly from remote farms, the initiative connects women directly with markets and making them financially independent. Today, more than 1,600 women are part of this initiative, with their incomes increasing by 40–60% and women taking a more active role in decisions affecting their families and communities.
Food Recovery Alliance
Canada
Apollin Lu founded the Food Recovery Alliance in 2024, while still in ninth grade, with the goal of giving surplus food a new purpose and strengthening access to fresh produce in local communities. Today, the organization recovers surplus produce from farms across British Columbia and distributes it to more than 75 community organizations. Women are central to the initiative, with 80% of its farm partners being women-led, while also training young women to take on roles across food systems.
Fyffes International
Costa Rica and Belize
Fyffes’ Cultivating Equality program has created new opportunities for dialogue on gender equality and safety across the company’s farms in Latin America. Free podcast episodes allow workers to engage with the content on their own phones and their own pace, reaching more than 3,100 workers, as well as their families and communities, in Costa Rica and Belize. Women participating in the program report greater confidence, improved wellbeing, and increased awareness of their rights. Each farm now has a Gender Committee where workers can raise their concerns. In Costa Rica, a partnership with the National Learning Institute has also supported three women in moving into full-time operational and technical roles.
Changemaker Award for Sustainability
Honoring projects that drive systemic change toward sustainable food and farming systems – for and by women in agriculture.
Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation
Albania
Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation helped Albania’s fruit and vegetable sector transition from small-scale, individually certified farms to a GLOBALG.A.P. group certification model between 2018 and 2025. Over this period, the certified area grew from around 45 hectares to about 700 hectares, reaching more than 300 farmers, while the country’s fruit and vegetable export to the EU increased from €32 million to €85 million. The program also trained Albania’s first female farm advisers through the GLOBALG.A.P. Academy and contributed to the creation of more than 1,200 jobs in the sector, 72% of which were filled by women.
Intelligent Green Crops SA
Greece
Intelligent Green Crops SA’s hydroponic lettuce greenhouse in Greece faced significant operational challenges in its first three years, including a shortage of qualified agronomists. In August 2023, two female agronomists took on responsibility for production and commercial management, marking the start of a broader transformation within the company. Within 28 months, the team nearly doubled lettuce production from about 5 million heads to 9 million heads, while reducing water use and virtually eliminating waste. Today, women make up 90% of the workforce, including two newly appointed supervisors, while the quality control department is also led by women.
Schools and Colleges Permaculture Programme (SCOPE)
Kenya
SCOPE Kenya’s permaculture program is helping smallholder women producers strengthen food security and build more resilient livelihoods. By establishing gardens with diverse crops, families gain year-round access to safe, nutritious, locally produced food while increasing biodiversity across their farms. The program is also creating new income opportunities: 25 women have opened farm-gate shops to sell surplus produce, while others provide paid services to install permaculture gardens in schools and households. As a result, the communities and schools supported by SCOPE Kenya now have thriving food forests that contribute to climate resilience, environmental restoration, improved nutrition, and greater economic opportunities for women and their families.
Announcing the winners at the AGRAYA SUMMIT 2026
On 28 October, our finalists will take to the stage together at the AGRAYA SUMMIT 2026 in Bologna, Italy. But, only three of them will walk away as winners.
Join us to find out who wins! Get tickets.
