What Enables Women’s Economic Empowerment in Agri-food Systems? Emerging Evidence from South Asia and Australia

Gender inequality in agri‑food systems is not only unjust but also economically damaging. Across the world, restrictive gender norms and women’s unequal access to land, finance, technology, and other critical resources suppress productivity and drain billions of dollars from agribusiness value chains each year. Despite contributing a substantial share of agricultural labour, women remain systematically disadvantaged, limiting the potential of the entire sector. Yet, there is scarce empirical evidence linking labour participation, market access, and resilience across diverse economies that continues to hinder the design of effective policies for inclusive sustainable development. Addressing this critical gap, our study systematically maps the diverse body of knowledge using a hybrid review method combining bibliometric analysis and thematic qualitative synthesis on women’s economic empowerment in agri‑food systems. Our results reveal interesting insights. Since 2015, the literature has shifted from descriptive to more analytical, policy-oriented research focus. Yet fragmentation persists, with limited integration across labour market participation, food systems, and climate resilience. The role of digital finance, value chains, and e-commerce in strengthening women’s economic agency also remains underexplored.
Notably, our study makes a conceptual contribution by identifying four dominant themes in the literature: (i) women’s employment and livelihood security, (ii) food security and nutrition outcomes, (iii) climate change, vulnerability, and resilience, and (iv) financial inclusion, microfinance, and market integration. Using thematic analysis, we develop an integrated conceptual framework that illustrates the drivers of women’s economic empowerment, namely employment and market participation, mediated by food security and climate resilience, and shaped by institutional, social, and technological factors.