2026 brings a unique opportunity with two International Year designations by the United Nations - the International Year of the Women Farmer and Rancher as well as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.  The intersection of the two years aligns with a Global Gathering of pastoralist women occurring in May, 2026.  But before that happens, there is a North American Regional Gathering in Monterey, CA February 7, 2026.  

Women represent a significant yet often underrepresented portion of extensive livestock producers in North America and globally.  Despite their critical role in pastoral systems - raising sheep, cattle, and goats among others - women pastoralist face unique challenges including limited access to peer networks, markets, grazing lands, and leadership development opportunities.  (We are using the broad definition of pastoralist - someone who raise mobile grazing livestock.)

The pastoral sector is at a critical juncture, facing challenges from climate variability, invasive species, generational succession concerns, and market access barriers.  Women pastoralist bring unique perspectives on sustainable management, community development, and holistic approaches to rangeland stewardship that are essential for the future resilience of these systems. 

We are excited to be planning a regional Women Pastoralist Gathering in conjunction with the upcoming Society for Range Management Annual Meeting in Monterey, CA.  This Gathering will address a documented need for targeted programming that empowers women through peer-to-peer learning, skills development, and network building.  According to the 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture, women are principal operators of 14% of U.S. farms and are involved in day-to-day decision making on 51% of farms, yet they report significant barriers including limited access to capital, land, agricultural networks, and technical assistance programs.  Research on women in agriculture demonstrates that gender-specific barriers - not lack of capability - constrain women's full participation in agricultural systems.  However, women often lack access to professional development opportunities, decision-making platforms, and peer support networks specific to their experiences in pastoral systems. 

The proposed Gathering will bring together women pastoralist to share experiences, develop leadership and advocacy skills, and learn sustainable pastoral practices.  This Gathering supports rural communities across North America by strengthening the capacity of women pastoralist to manage rangelands sustainably, adapt to climate change, and ensure the long term viability of pastoral systems that provide critical ecosystem services including carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, water quality protection, and open space preservation. 

We have organized women pastoralist from Canada, U.S., and Mexico planning the Gathering to ensure the pastoralist woman's voice is heard.  The North American Gathering will mirror and funnel information to the Global women Pastoralist Gathering in Nepal, May 2026.  To make the Gathering more accessible to larger numbers of women scattered across the three countries, we will be utilizing Zoom platform and encouraging women to create "Satellite Gatherings" to foster peer to peer learning in their communities.  Satellite Gatherings will gather physically together in their community (someone's kitchen table, back room of a local restaurant, community center, local library, etc.) to watch the speakers and panelist in Monterey, and then during the round table discussions, will have discussions with the women at their table, and instructions will be sent to send their topics back to facilitators in Monterey, where voices from across North America will be combined for a stronger voice.