The Chief Guest Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan Ji, Hon’ble Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India has inaugurated the Global Conference and inspired the delegates through online mode. He highlighted the immense contribution of women in agriculture especially in natural farming, women friendly agricultural technologies, digital literacy and emphasized upon different women centric schemes like Krishi Shakhi, Drone Shakhi, Pashu Sakhi etc. and skill based scientific training for bringing gender equity and empowering women farmers.

The ‘Sashakti’ Museum on Women empowerment in agriculture at ICAR-CIWA, Bhubaneswar was dedicated to the nation by the Hon’ble Union Minister during this inaugural programme.

The Cow-dung Slurry based Organic Bio-Fertilizers developed by Sundarban Cooperative Milk & Livestock Producers' Union Ltd. (Sundarini Naturals) under the technical support of NDDB were also launched by the Hon’ble Union Minister.

Shri Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare & DARE emphasized on creating enabling environment in agriculture through education and capacity-building programme accessing for socio-economic development of women farmers within rural communities.

During the Valedictory Programme of this Global Conference, Dr. Mridula Devi, Director, ICAR-CIWA and President RAGA and Organizing Secretary of the Global Conference welcomed the Chief Guest, Hon'ble Shri Gokulananda Mallick Ji, Minister of Fisheries and Animal Resources Development, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of Odisha. In his address, Hon’ble Minister emphasized on the importance of empowering women in agriculture and ‘Subhadra’ Shakti scheme of the Government of Odisha as a significant step toward women’s empowerment. He also stressed upon self-reliant women through animal husbandry, gaining increased income through initiatives like the Mukhyamantri Kamadhenu Yojana.

Mr. Takayuki Hagiwara, Country representative, FAO-IN, New Delhi indicated that women are in the centre of global food production and their access to land, credit, technologies should be facilitated removing the societal barriers following gender transformative approaches of Indian agriculture.

Ms. Nozomi Hashimoto, Dy. Country Director, UN World Food Programme-IN highlighted on access to technologies, resources, finance and engagement of women with agri-tech innovations for achieving gender equitable sustainable agriculture and realizing food and nutritional security. She emphasized WFP’s commitment to integrate gender equity into sustainable agriculture, ensuring women’s empowerment in sustainable food systems.

Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Hon’ble Director General, ICRISAT, Hyderabad and former Secretary (DARE) & DG (ICAR), India highlighted on the challenges of Agri-food system and role of women farmers in Indian agriculture while addressing gender issues, ensuring women have equal access to resources, training, and decision-making to make agriculture more sustainable and adaptive to climate change. He urged the exemplary success stories of women farmers to be presented in all platforms for empowering women.

Dr. Meenesh Shah, Chairman & Managing Director, NDDB, Anand, Gujarat, India highlighted the importance of women in dairy sectors and promotion of women dairy cooperatives for financial security.

Dr. Praveen Kumar Singh, Hon'ble Agriculture Commissioner, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, New Delhi highlighted on strategies to overcome several challenges and institutional bottlenecks in order to achieve sustainable development goals.

Shri Vijay Amruta Kulange, Managing Director, The Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers' Federation Ltd (OMFED), Bhubaneswar, India narrated the important role of women to strengthen milk producing dairy cooperative societies and credit of money directly to women bank accounts, which need to be encouraged through motivation and organizing training and exposure visits of women farmers.

Dr. R.C. Agrawal, Hon'ble Dy. Director General, (Agriculture Education), ICAR, New Delhi & Charperson of this Conference appreciated the efforts made by ICAR-CIWA in organizing the global conference and advised the research and extension workers to focus on gender equity and gender transformative approaches in technology development and dissemination to secure a sustainable agri-food system in the changing climate scenario.

Dr. Bimlesh Mann, Asstt. Director General (EP&HS) appreciated ICAR-CIWA as a unique and premier Institute for empowering women in the field of agriculture and suggested to focus on scientific packaging and branding of different agro produce prepared by SHGs/FPOs and dairy cooperatives.

The Conference provided a unique platform for the researchers, the policy makers, the academia, innovators, students, female and male farmers, women FPOs, entrepreneurs, industries, and other stakeholders to deliberate, exchange their knowledge and experiences, and derive the ways to mitigate the issues and challenges faced by women farmers and strategies to bridge the gender gap for sustainable agri-food system. With a theme centered on gender transformation, the conference emphasized on integrating gender-responsive policies and practices that can successfully drive sustainability, equity, and economic growth in agriculture and food systems. The event brought attention to the critical role of women and marginalized groups in agriculture, which has traditionally been a sector where gender disparities remain prevalent. By fostering an environment where both men and women can thrive, the conference underscored the importance of gender equality in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in relation to poverty reduction, food security, and environmental sustainability.

On the occasion, Conference Souvenir-cum-Abstract Book, ‘सशक्ति’ राजभाषा पत्रिका, ‘कृषिका काव्यांजलि’- Poetry Collection (Hindi) were released by the dignitaries. ‘Sashakti’ Award was also conferred during the Conference to Smt. Raimati Ghiuria, popularly known as ‘Mandia Rani’-a Progressive Farmer from Koraput, Odisha; Ms Renu Sangwan from Haryana, Ms Merly Tom Kizhakayi from Meghalaya and Ms Junuma Mali from Assam for their exemplary contribution towards sustainability of agriculture and techno-socio-economic empowerment of hundreds of women in agri-food system. Thirty-five progressive women farmers and entrepreneurs across the different parts of India were also felicitated with ‘Annapura Award’ for their outstanding contribution in field of agriculture and allied sector. A total of 27 women-led custom hiring centres were also established to support women-led agricultural enterprises in the agriculture and allied sector.

Dr. Sabyasachi Roy, Regional Head, NDDB, Kolkata, emphasized strengthening women's roles in the dairy value chain to foster leadership in dairy cooperatives.

Dr Himanshu Bal, Head, United Nations World Food Programme (India Country Office), stressed upon strong market linkages for women farmers to facilitate women entrepreneurship.

During the 3-days event, over 500 delegates from all over the world participated in this conference in different technical sessions. Around 1500 women farmers and entrepreneurs from more than 20 states of India, along with dignitaries, various government agencies, FPOs/FPCs, SHGs, students actively participated in this global conference. A grand exhibition was also organized wherein 45 exhibitors from different parts of India showcased their women friendly agricultural technologies and products. As the events conclude, it is evident that empowering women and fostering gender-transformative approaches are not just a moral imperative but a practical necessity for achieving long-term sustainability in agri-food system.