In a move to elevate global conversations about women’s roles in sustainability and food security, newly elected U.S. Grains Council (USGC) Board Member Jenny Schmidt represented American farmers while in Vietnam and Indonesia at a United Nations (UN) program that designated 2026 as the International Year of Women Farmers.
The program offered a vital platform to spotlight the indispensable contributions of women in agriculture, who play a crucial role in cultivating resilient food systems worldwide and fostered international collaboration in addressing global challenges related to food production and security. The event was a collaboration between the UN and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA’s FAS) based in Hanoi and Jakarta.
“Global engagements such as this must continue as we share the same desire to create platforms to discuss the challenges women face in agriculture with the goal of ensuring equitable livelihoods for all involved in agriculture production,” said Rowena Ngumbang, USGC regional marketing manager for Southeast Asia and Oceania (SEA&O).
Schmidt delivered a keynote address to the media, educators and students at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture during the two-day event co-organized by the Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper, that featured a visit to local livestock and farming communities led by pioneering Vietnamese women in the Lac Thuy District, Hoa Binh Province.
Her journey continued in Indonesia with an exchange of experiences with Indonesian women farmers, educators and students of IPB University. The visit highlighted U.S. commitment to empowering women in agriculture and culminated with a tour of Neglasari Farm. Schmidt illustrated the contributions of women in the agricultural sector that paved the way for advancements in sustainable farming practices and conveyed the importance of continuous education and science-based information for profitable farming.
Throughout her engagement, Schmidt emphasized the vital roles of women in leadership, mentorship and in the future of agricultural automation, sparking meaningful discussions about innovation, empowerment and sustainability in the sector.
“This program was particularly special for me as it was my own mother’s career in agriculture that inspired me to get into this line of work,” said Caleb Wurth, USGC regional director for SEA&O. “Women are indeed best positioned to positively influence the next generation.”
Learn more about the Council’s work in SEA&O here.
About The U.S. Grains Council
The U.S. Grains Council develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol. With full-time presence in 28 locations, the Council operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability. Detailed information about the Council and its programs is online at www.grains.org.