Every Woman Deserves Firm Ground to Stand On
In the Sundarbans of West Bengal, Parbati Barik risks encounters with snakes and Royal Bengal tigers just to feed her family. Like millions of women around the world, she works the land but doesn't own it. Her wish is to never go back into the forest.
This spring, your gift can help make that possible. Women feed families, yet account for less than 25% of landholders worldwide. As the United Nations marks 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, Landesa is working to close that gap — one woman, one land title, one community at a time. Behind every land title is a family whose future just changed. Make yours count.
Stand with Women this Spring.
Secure Their Land.
In a coastal community in the Indian state of West Bengal, Parbati Barik makes her living as a fisher and farmer in the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest. It is a lush biodiversity hotspot and a critical carbon sink, but it is also a difficult and dangerous workplace. Parbati and others in her community toil in sweltering heat and damp conditions, brave sudden storm surges, and risk encounters with snakes and Royal Bengal tigers to feed their families.
"My wish is to never go back into the forest." - Parbati Barik
That's exactly the opportunity Landesa works to create. In 2025, Parbati was invited to attend an alternative livelihood training at her local women's self-help group — a tangible example of Landesa facilitating opportunities for women helping women. Within a year, her fish farm is more profitable than ever, and she's already planning to buy more land.
"I don't want my children to depend on the forest. I want them to be educated and to move forward in life."
- Parbati Barik
Parbati is not alone.
Women make up a critical share of the global agricultural workforce, yet account for less than 25% of landholders worldwide. That imbalance limits not only their economic potential, but their ability to shape the future of their communities. Globally, women are excluded from making decisions about land, despite being stewards of the land, feeding their communities, and shouldering domestic and farm labor.
As the United Nations marks 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, Landesa is working to ensure that women like Parbati have the land rights and economic opportunities they deserve. The Year of the Woman Farmer spotlights the essential roles women play across agrifood systems — from production to trade — while often going unrecognized. Significant cuts to development funding make your generosity more important now than ever.
Your gift supports women worldwide.
A gift helps fund the community trainings, land registration support, and legal advocacy that made Parbati's story possible. These women farmers go on to register land, train neighbors, and expand secure rights for families in their own communities. When women gain secure rights to land, spending on children's education goes up, household nutrition improves, and whole communities move forward. This spring, your gift puts resources directly behind the women this moment was made for. We're grateful you're a part of this. Hear Parbarti's story in her own words below.