On 20 September 2026, HRH Princess Basma bint Talal, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW), opened the national meeting “Women in Agriculture: From Beneficiaries to Partners”, which set out to bring the priorities of women working in agriculture into national policy and rural development.
The Princess described the position of women in agriculture as central to Jordan’s development: they are partners in production, with a right to opportunity and a say in decisions, and they are key to the future of rural communities. She linked the meeting to the United Nations’ designation of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer.
She pointed to the barriers women farm workers face — transport, limited social protection, poor access to extension services, and caring responsibilities — and called for a more joined-up institutional response, noting that Jordan’s Economic Modernization Vision counts agricultural productivity and women’s economic participation among national priorities.
Acting JNCW Secretary-General Dima Jweihan said the subject is about economic empowerment, food security and fair access to resources, and that the meeting gave women a space to share their experience and needs as partners rather than beneficiaries.
Ireland’s Ambassador to Jordan, Nicole McHugh, noted that women make up a large share of the world’s agricultural workforce yet still face barriers to land, finance, training, technology and decision-making.
Working sessions brought women farmers together with representatives of relevant institutions to discuss extension, technology and climate resilience, entrepreneurship, markets and leadership, decent work and care, and finance and ownership. They agreed specific recommendations to be taken into the National Strategy for Women in Jordan and followed up with the relevant authorities — the start of a continuing dialogue linking women’s voices to policy.
