Announced at the AGRAYA SUMMIT on 28 October in Bologna, Italy, the Changemaker Awards 2026 shone a spotlight on initiatives driving change for women across agrifood systems: From access to markets and agricultural technology to sustainable farming practices and income generation.
“Reviewing this year’s nominations was a powerful reminder of the extraordinary impact women are making across agrifood systems worldwide,” commented Manal Saleh, Founder of Blue Moon Ltd. and a member of this year’s awards jury. “Despite often facing unequal access to land, education, finance, technology, and equal pay, they continue to drive innovation and strengthen their communities. Empower a woman farmer, and you don’t just strengthen one farm; you strengthen a whole community. That is the real return on investing in women farmers: not just a harvest, but a more resilient future for everyone.”
The scale of difference is reflected in FAO research, which finds that for every dollar earned by men in agrifood systems, women earn just 78 cents on average. The gap reflects a wider challenge: Women contribute across the food value chain, yet continue to face barriers to the resources, opportunities and recognition that could help them progress.
The role of women in agrifood systems was also at the heart of the discussions at the SUMMIT, where Clara Park, Senior Gender Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, addressed delegates on the International Year of the Woman Farmer. She spoke about the contribution women make across the whole food system, from production and processing to trade agricultural research, and the importance of turning the momentum of the year into concrete action and investment.
Against this backdrop, the 2026 Changemaker Awards recognized three initiatives working to create opportunities for women.
Changemaker Award for Innovation winner: AgriEdge, Morocco
Agricultural technology can create opportunities for women beyond the traditional roles in farming. AgriEdge’s initiative puts this into practice by training women to become agricultural drone pilots, opening pathways into precision agriculture and the wider agritech sector. Around 20 women have already received training in drone operation, mission planning, crop monitoring, precision spraying, safety, maintenance, and reporting.
The initiative addresses barriers to women’s access to technical roles and opportunities in a field where they are typically underrepresented.
Reflecting on the win, Faissal Sehbaoui, CEO of AgriEdge, said, “Winning the AGRAYA Changemaker Award 2026 in the Innovation category is a meaningful recognition of our belief that agricultural innovation creates its greatest value when it also creates opportunity. I am particularly proud that this initiative challenges traditional perceptions of women’s roles in agricultural technology. Our ambition now is to scale it across Morocco and, ultimately, across Africa, enabling more women to actively shape the future of agriculture.”
Changemaker Award for Community Impact winner: FKKB Sahakari Samiti Ltd, India
For the tribal women farmers in the remote hills of Jaunsar, Uttarakhand, access to a market can make a direct difference to their livelihoods. FKKB’s Market on Wheels initiative addresses this barrier by collecting produce directly from farms and providing immediate payment, reducing reliance on intermediaries.
The initiative has supported more than 1,600 women, with a reported household income increase of 40–60%. Its impact has also extended beyond income: Women began speaking at village meetings, participating in decisions, and taking on roles as entrepreneurs.
Speaking about the win and their future, Dr. Pooja Gaur, Chairperson of FKKB Sahakari Samiti Ltd, said, “Winning the Changemaker Award 2026 is a deeply humbling moment for me and for the entire FKKB Sahakari Samiti team. This award does not belong to one person, it belongs to every farmer and every woman who trusted us, joined hands with us, and chose to change her own story. What I am most proud of is that we have built not just a cooperative, but a movement of self-reliance, dignity and sisterhood. From small savings to confident entrepreneurship, our members are now leading change in their own families and villages. My aspiration for the next stage is simple – to take this model to many more villages, strengthen our livelihoods, and ensure that every woman we work with becomes financially independent and a changemaker in her own right.”
Changemaker Award for Sustainability winner: SCOPE, Kenya
The Schools and Colleges Permaculture Programme (SCOPE) combines sustainable farming practices with opportunities for women to earn an income. Through permaculture and agroecological education, the initiative helps women apply sustainable growing practices for their livelihoods and share these practices within their communities.
25 women have established farm-gate shops, and members earn additional income by providing permaculture garden installation services. Through practical education with women-led implementation, the initiative supports food security and climate resilience.
Valary Ajwang, Advocacy and Communication Officer, reflects on the achievement, “Winning the Changemaker Award 2026 in the Sustainability category is deeply meaningful to me. What touches my heart most is seeing families access nutritious food and income, women gain opportunities to earn a living, and children enjoy safe, nutritious meals both at home and at school. Knowing that this work is helping reduce school absenteeism and gender-based violence at household level reminds me why I do what I do. Looking ahead, I would be happiest scaling up this work to reach more marginalized communities in arid and semi-arid areas, advocating the integration of agroecology into Kenya’s education curriculum, and building meaningful partnerships to create lasting change and more resilient, sustainable food systems for generations to come.”
Continuing to celebrate the changemakers
The 2026 awards received more than 80 applications from over 40 countries. We are grateful to everyone who shared their work with us. While only three initiatives were selected as winners, the contributions of all the applications are vital to advancing women’s roles across food and agricultural systems.
“Every application represented commitment, creativity, and tangible action,” stated jury member Stephanie Finkbeiner, Chief Sustainability Officer at EDEKA Zentrale. “As a jury, we picked projects that highlight the contributions of women and strengthen their role within farming value chains.”
The Changemaker Awards will return in 2028 to continue this journey of recognizing innovators and initiatives reshaping agriculture worldwide.
Related links
- Learn more about what happened at the AGRAYA SUMMIT 2026
- Discover the very first winner of the Agraya Person of the Year Award
- Explore more about Agraya and what drives us
