Authors: Zsófia Rába, Rosa Jorba
Empowering women is not only a moral imperative but also a practical solution for building equitable, resilient food systems and addressing global challenges like food insecurity and climate change.
Indigenous women around the world face a unique intersection of challenges stemming from their gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status. As primary caretakers of natural resources, they play a crucial role in agriculture through farming, forestry, and artisanal work. While they are key in combating poverty, hunger, and malnutrition, contributing significantly to food systems, Indigenous women are frequently relegated to informal or low-wage sectors, lacking legal protections and financial security.
This invisibility perpetuates a cycle, where resources and public policies fail to address their specific needs. Industrialization, climate change, and resource extraction further compound these vulnerabilities, threatening the economic stability of Indigenous communities, and the crucial role women play within them. Tackling these challenges requires a shift toward self-managed development, equitable resource distribution, and a stronger mechanism to ensure economic growth translates into a reduction of poverty.
This article will focus on economic empowerment, which calls for a transformative shift in how we approach agricultural systems: by recognizing, supporting, and investing in Indigenous women’s leadership in sustainable practices. Significantly, food systems serve as an example of why women’s economic empowerment is essential, as they highlight the intersectionality between gender, labour, and resource management. Indigenous women play a critical role in food production and sustainability, yet they often face systemic barriers.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),
“economic empowerment is the capacity of women and men to participate in, contribute to and benefit from growth processes in ways that recognize the value of their contributions, respect their dignity and make it possible to negotiate a fairer distribution of the benefits of growth”.
Women are essential for local, national, and global development. Female participation in the workplace promotes a more humane work , and it helps them to have a better status within their households and communities. Beyond this, women’s economic empowerment addresses systemic oppression by helping dismantle patriarchal and colonial structures that continue limiting women’s autonomy in economic participation.
Indeed, indigenous women play a crucial role in the food systems worldwide through cultural traditions, environmental conservation and economic resilience. They are often the primary caretakers of agricultural practices, fisheries, and food production, ensuring food security while preserving natural ecosystems. Thus, it is relevant to include them in the conversations to create policies that ensure mutual learning and adaptation. In fact, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has been highlighting the importance of traditional knowledge and its engagement in decision-making.
Real stories better showcase how Indigenous women’s economic empowerment strengthens both their communities and the environment. This article highlights two of these inspiring stories:
Sea Grapes: Empowering Women and Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods
In the Western Province of the Solomon Islands, four communities, Kongulavata, Sairagi, Boboe, and Pusiju, include sea grapes in their regular diets and use them as an important part of their economic income. Harvesting sea grapes isa deeply rooted cultural tradition that supports both livelihoods and the environment. These sea grapes are locally known as “sea caviar” due to their fragility and the fact that once harvested, they have to be protected from the sun, because it can rapidly degrade their quality. Therefore, harvesting sea grapes is a skill that requires years of experience.
Women are at the forefront of sea grapes initiatives, using the practice as a way to have financial independence and preserve the environment. These women, often referred to as female divers, have been playing a central role in collecting sea grapes for decades.
Sea grapes are highly affected by weather conditions, and climate change has shortened harvesting periods, making the practice more challenging. Women who have harvested sea grapes for years have observed these changes firsthand. As Everlyn Paebara explains, “previously, we’d only get low tides in June. But now it’s almost November, and it’s still low tide.” These prolonged low tides lead to higher water temperatures, causing sea grapes to die.
These women have started working together with WWF in order to improve the quality and quantity of the sea grapes, by protecting the reefs where they grow. They have also started controlling when to harvest by assessing the periods that sea grapes are in the worst conditions.
Harvesting sea grapes has several different positive effects, such as:
Economic Empowerment: Women in the Solomon Islands gain financial independence through sea grape harvesting and sales, offering a sustainable livelihood. While fishing is traditionally seen as a male activity, in this case, women are the ones harvesting, selling, and managing household food supplies.
Cultural and Spiritual Significance: Sea grape harvesting is deeply rooted in Indigenous traditions, particularly in women’s roles within their communities. For generations, this practice has been more than just a source of food and income, it is passed down from mothers to daughters. Thus, the strong connection these women have with the ocean provides them with a profound understanding of marine ecosystems.
Environmental role: Women-led sea grape harvesting plays a key role in marine conservation. The success of these practices is that they combine traditional knowledge of sea grape harvesting with conservation strategies. The improvement of sea grape management has resulted in healthier sea grapes.
Furthermore, the Kongulavata, Sairagi, Boboe, and Pusiju communities are now making other uses of the sea grape. Currently, they are not just dietary products, but they are also used to make noodles, syrup, soaps and body lotions. This has been very positive for the communities and they are very grateful to live from the resources they have. Nerolyn Lori, a female Community Facilitator from Sairagi, expressed her excitement about the project, stating,
“the value-adding training has been an eye-opener for me. I look forward to implementing this knowledge into our local products. This initiative not only boosts our income but also strengthens our community’s commitment to sustainable practices.”
This concrete case shows how women’s economic empowerment is key to ensuring sustainable positive impacts, as they are the ones conserving and adding value to the sea grapes.
Beekeeping: A Path to Empowerment and Environmental Stewardship
Across the world, Indigenous communities have practised beekeeping for generations, not only as a means of honey production but as a deeply rooted cultural tradition that supports both livelihoods and the environment. From the Mayans in Central America to the Maasai in Tanzania and Aboriginal groups in Australia, traditional beekeeping remains an integral part of Indigenous life, often centred around native stingless bees that thrive in diverse ecosystems.
For many Indigenous peoples, beekeeping is more than just honey production. It is a practice deeply tied to cultural heritage, spiritual beliefs, and environmental stewardship. In Aboriginal Australian communities, “sugar bag honey” from native stingless bees is not only a valued food source but also plays a crucial role in ceremonies and traditional medicine. In the Amazon, bees are seen as sacred beings, symbolizing renewal and the interconnectedness of life.
All these traditional perspectives ensure that beekeeping remains a practice of respect, sustainability, and reciprocity with nature.
Indigenous communities have developed diverse, sustainable methods to keep and harvest bees, often using materials available in their environments. Traditional hives are crafted from hollowed-out logs, clay pots, or woven baskets, mimicking the bees’ natural habitats and ensuring minimal disruption. Some communities, particularly in remote regions, harvest wild honey by carefully extracting hives from trees or cliffs, using smoke to gently calm the bees before collection. Many Indigenous beekeepers prefer stingless bees over European honeybees, as they require less intensive management while still providing valuable honey and wax. These native bee species are well adapted to their local ecosystems and play an essential role in pollinating Indigenous crops.
While traditional methods remain integral to Indigenous beekeeping, many communities have begun incorporating modern sustainable practices. Blending ancestral knowledge with contemporary beekeeping techniques allows Indigenous beekeepers to enhance honey production while maintaining ecological balance. In some regions, organized cooperatives and training programs have empowered Indigenous women to transform beekeeping into structured businesses. These initiatives provide resources such as modern hive designs, protective equipment, and access to larger markets, allowing women to establish financial independence while continuing their traditional practices.
Indigenous beekeeping has several different positive effects, such as:
Economic empowerment: Beekeeping serves as a vital source of income for Indigenous women, offering a sustainable livelihood that does not rely on environmentally harmful industries. In northern Tanzania, for example, Maasai women are using beekeeping as a pathway to financial independence, challenging traditional gender roles while securing a stable income for their families. As honey and beeswax are highly valued in global markets, and used in food, medicine, and cosmetics, beekeeping is a viable economic opportunity for Indigenous women.
Cultural and spiritual significance: Beyond its economic benefits, beekeeping holds deep cultural and spiritual meaning for many Indigenous communities. Honey is frequently used in traditional healing practices, ceremonies, and rituals, emphasizing its sacred role in Indigenous knowledge systems. In some cultures, bees themselves are considered sacred beings, symbolizing harmony, renewal, and the interconnectedness of life. These perspectives ensure that beekeeping remains a practice rooted in respect and sustainability.
Environmental role: Indigenous beekeeping contributes significantly to environmental conservation. By prioritizing the care of native bee species, the practice promotes biodiversity and strengthens ecosystems, ensuring the survival of essential pollinators. Many Indigenous beekeepers integrate traditional ecological knowledge with conservation efforts, using beekeeping as a tool for obtaining sustainable lands and protecting forests.
In many Indigenous communities, women are at the forefront of beekeeping initiatives, using the practice as a means of financial independence and environmental conservation. As already mentioned, in northern Tanzania, beekeeping plays a crucial role in women’s lives. Through the Women’s Beekeeping Initiative, they receive training, equipment, and market access, allowing them to sell honey and beeswax products while also contributing to pollinator conservation. Similarly, in Mexico’s Zapotec communities, social enterprises are supporting women in beekeeping by offering microcredits and promoting gender-inclusive policies.
These efforts not only strengthen local economies but also empower women to take leadership roles in resource management and community development.
Sustaining the Future: A Call to Action
Indigenous women have long been caretakers of the land, passing down knowledge that sustains both their communities and the environment. Their work, whether in harvesting sea grapes, beekeeping, or other traditional practices, is not just about making a living; it is about protecting ecosystems, preserving culture, and ensuring future generations can thrive. Yet, despite their vital contributions, they continue to face systemic barriers to financial independence and recognition.
Real change starts with acknowledging their role and supporting their leadership. By valuing Indigenous knowledge, combining traditional practices with modern sustainable solutions, and ensuring fair access to resources, we can build stronger, more resilient food systems. When Indigenous women thrive, entire communities benefit.
It’s time to listen, learn, and take action. Support Indigenous women-led initiatives, advocate for policies that protect their rights, and recognize the wisdom they bring to the fight for sustainability. Economic empowerment is not just about financial stability – it’s about securing a just and sustainable future for all.