 When we think of farmers, what image comes to mind? Chances are, it's a man. But did you know that many rice farmers are women? Aside from being mothers and wives, they are farmers too. At least 500 million women around the world are engaged in rice cultivation. Women account for 47% of the global agricultural labor. However, 87% of women's agricultural labor is unpaid and unrecognized. The role of women in farming families varies in different parts of the world. In sub-Saharan Africa and in South Asia, women are perceived to play supporting roles and do not participate in decision-making. While women in Southeast Asian countries enjoy less restrictive social and gender norms. Women farmers have insufficient access to farming resources, technologies and opportunities which are mainly geared toward men farmers. In the Philippines, women comprise around 26% of agricultural workers. The country is the 8th largest rice producer in the world. In 2019, the Philippines grew more than 13 million metric tons of rice. Producing rice is not an easy task. Farmers start working before sunup and endure long hours under the sun to provide us with our staple source of energy. Despite this, farmers are still among the poorest in the country. They posted the highest poverty incidence among the basic sectors in the recent years. Being a farmer is hard enough. But being a woman in a farming family can be harder. Around 35% of Filipino women farmers render unpaid work. 6 out of 10 unpaid women family workers in the country operate in the agriculture sector. One of the fundamental problems is that women are not commonly recognized as farmers. Their farm work is seen as an extension of their duties at home. Women's unpaid farm labor adds to their burden of being the family's primary caregiver and homemaker. To add to this, women generally have limited access to resources, learning opportunities and farming technologies. This hinders women from reaching their full potential and locks them in a cycle of low productivity and poverty. Women in farming families need support to work on the farm in a way that recognizes their other roles in the family. Programs and policies should recognize women's role in agriculture and create conditions that would make their engagement beneficial. These can be realized through learning and training opportunities and credit facilities or financial products that can help run their farms or run farms single-handedly in more efficient and effective ways. An enabling environment for women farmers will help them access tools and training to increase their productivity. This is the first step towards realizing women's potential to be change agents in their communities. Women managing farms and making decisions means higher income for farming families, more resources and better access to basic services like education and healthcare. This will give farming families a fighting chance against poverty, provide their families more opportunities to better their lives and create a positive ripple effect, making happier and healthier communities.