Giving Compass' Take:

• From empowering smallholder farmers in the developing world, to building food as medicine into the medical system, to re-imagining a more accessible and sustainable grocery store, these women are changing the way we eat around the world. 

• How can donors help increase resource availability for female food entrepreneurs, farmers and agricultural workers?

• Read about creating a more sustainable food system.


Women are the backbone of agriculture and food systems worldwide—according to The World Bank, women make up about half of the agricultural sector in developing countries, but they typically receive fewer resources including land, education, inputs, and financial and banking services than men. Despite these obstacles, women around the world are emerging as leaders in all corners of the food justice movement: from empowering smallholder farmers in the developing world and building food as medicine into the medical system, to re-imagining a more accessible and sustainable grocery store, their work is changing the way we eat all around the world. Here are their stories.

  1. Amy and Ruth Anslow—Social Entrepreneurs and Co-founders, HISBE Food (United Kingdom)
    Sisters Amy and Ruth Anslow started HISBE Food to re-imagine a grocery store which is run “How it Should Be”—powered by the surrounding community and underscored by values of social entrepreneurship, rather than simply operating for profit.
  2. Atram Padma Bai—Fairtrade Farmer/Sarpanch (India)
    After being elected Sarpanch (village leader) for eight villages in India totaling over 2,000 farmers, Padma Bai secured a loan to purchase a set of agricultural tools her community could not afford.

Read the full article on the 14 women changing food around the world by Thea Walmsley at Food Tank.