Women are a central and crucial part of the agriculture economy and food production. They play important roles as seed keepers and seed savers; they are responsible for animal husbandry and vegetable growing. Their inherent knowledge and skills are significant in conserving and improving seed and livestock varieties, as well inland fishing. But while rural and indigenous women are the mainstay of small-scale agriculture and fishing, farm labour force and day-to-day family subsistence, they remain marginalised, or worse, invisible, unrecognised and neglected in development strategies. 

Food sovereignty can only be achieved when there is a genuine recognition of women’s pivotal role in food and agriculture. Food sovereignty recognises the rights of women, their responsibilities and needs in production and preparation of food for the family. The struggle towards food sovereignty must include breaking down patriarchal norms, values, practices and structures in our communities and fully upholding women’s human rights to Development Justice.  

For the Food Sovereignty FPAR 2023-2025, six organisations in Asia and the Pacific have been selected to work together with their respective communities to conduct FPAR and document evidence from October 2023 to March 2025. The FPAR aims to expose and unmask the powers behind the corporatisation and control of food and agriculture and at the same time, demonstrate feminist solutions, alternatives, and strategies in asserting their role in agriculture and reclaiming food sovereignty.

The six Food Sov FPAR partners are:

Mukti Nari O Shishu Unnayan Sangstha (Bangladesh)

Mukti Nari O Shishu Unnayan Sangsthais driven by its mission to create a fair society free from superstition, ignorance, diseases, human rights violations, and hunger. With a specific focus on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, the organisation helps marginalised women and girls across five districts, eight Upazila, 72 Unions, and six Pourashava in Bangladesh. Mukti Nari’s   FPAR will focus on organising tobacco leaves women workers and raising awareness about the negative impacts of tobacco leaves processing on the health and food sovereignty of women in Mirpur, Kushtia.

Swadhina (India)

Swadhina is a civil society organisation dedicated to the empowerment of women and child development through sustainable practices. Operating in five states—West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu—Swadhina focuses on empowering marginalised families. Their thematic areas include women’s empowerment, land rights, sustainable resource management, health, and nutrition. Swadhina’s FPAR aims to investigate the impacts of modern commercialisation of agriculture on traditional food and agricultural systems, the environment, and women’s livelihoods in Jharkhand and Odisha.

Bina Desa (Indonesia)

Bina Desa, an NGO based in Jakarta, Indonesia, aims to address structural obstacles in rural development. Operating mainly in Java and Sulawesi, the organisation focuses on agrarian reform, gender justice, rural youth, and natural farming (agroecology). Over time, Bina Desa incorporated a gender and ecology justice perspective into its policy and programs. Their FPAR will focus on strengthening the capacity of the fishermen’s organisation (KPNS) and other JPP Nusantara members to assess the impact of the large-scale shrimp industry on communities’ food sovereignty, coastal, and marine resources, while documenting knowledge and good practices.

Tukee Foundation (Nepal)

Tukee Foundation, a non-profit organisation in Nepal, is dedicated to supporting and empowering vulnerable single women-led families. Their goals encompass providing safe shelter, education, and economic and social empowerment. Established by a women’s group, the foundation collaborates with various international organisations and academic institutions in Nepal. The foundation’s FPAR focus will revolve around changing perceptions of indigenous knowledge and practices among grassroots women in the Raksirang rural municipality.

Leitana Nehan Women’s Development Agency (Papua New Guinea/Bougainville)

Leitana Nehan Women’s Development Agency (LNWDA) operates in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, as a non-government organisation promoting justice, peace, gender equality, and community empowerment. LNWDA’s thematic areas include gender and human rights, women’s political empowerment, advocacy, mental health, peacebuilding, reconciliation, HIV/AIDS, climate justice, and conflict transformation. Their FPAR will concentrate on building the capacity of Ieta women in Buka town to address struggles for sovereignty on land, natural resources, fishing, and achieving climate and development justice.

AMIHAN (Philippines)

Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women in the Philippines was established in response to systemic landlessness, economic and social discrimination against peasant women. Operating nationwide, Amihan advocates for genuine agrarian reform, national industrialisation, and an end to exploitation and discrimination. The organisation actively lobbies for “Food Security Bills,” including the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) and the Rice Industry Development Act (RIDA). Amihan collaborates with various grassroots organisations, human rights defenders, and environmental advocates. Their research will focus on exposing neoliberal policies in agriculture and the impact of the Rice Liberalisation Law on farmers and peasant women in Pagsanjan and Sta. Cruz, Laguna.