{
  "id": 16713816,
  "title": "Australia Vietnam event highlights women s role in agriculture",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/australia-vietnam-event-highlights-women-s-role-in-agriculture",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-27T05:56:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Vietnam Investment Review",
    "slug": "vietnam-investment-review",
    "url": "https://vir.com.vn/australia-vietnam-event-highlights-womens-role-in-agriculture-163711.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Australia-Vietnam Women in Agriculture event, held in Hanoi on October 27, emphasized the crucial role women play in the agricultural sector. Monica Finlayson, Australia's agriculture counsellor to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, highlighted that women make up about half of the agricultural workforce in Vietnam and around a third in Australia. Despite their significant contributions to farm production, agribusiness, natural resource management, and rural communities, women are still underrepresented in formal leadership and decision-making roles across the sector. This lack of leadership opportunity presents both a challenge for gender equality and a missed chance for the sector's growth. To transform policy commitments into real impact, Finlayson stressed the need for investment in women's leadership at all levels of the agricultural system. This involves supportive policies, targeted leadership programs, access to education and training, opportunities for skill development, and professional networks and mentoring pathways. Multi-stakeholder platforms that bring together government, industry, academia, and producers are essential for fostering knowledge exchange, connections, mentorship, and a sense of community. These platforms facilitate the sharing of experiences, learning, networking, and skill-building among women to empower them to lead within their communities and businesses. Australian Ambassador Renee Deschamps stressed that the future of agriculture relies on cooperation and fully realizing women's potential. She noted that women's contributions to rural livelihoods are increasingly recognized, and expanding their opportunities can drive growth and enhance community resilience. Deschamps emphasized that empowering women in agriculture brings economic benefits and helps build sustainable food systems and rural communities. Australian Women in Agriculture President Cressida Cains explained that merely having women present at meetings or as members of cooperatives does not equal true empowerment. For meaningful change, women must have opportunities to express their views, participate in decision-making, and influence collective activities. Cains proposed three approaches for policymakers: first, identify and acknowledge the contributions of women whose knowledge and experience may have been overlooked; second, focus on systemic mechanisms and incentives that enable women's participation; and third, move beyond individual achievements to examine the broader system that supports or hinders women's leadership.",
  "summary": "Unlocking women s full potential requires creating opportunities for them to participate meaningfully in decision making cooperative governance and the development of agricultural value chains",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}