On 16 February 2026, AVPN convened the second module of the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Leader’s Cohort at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The session brought together practitioners, funders, storytellers and system actors to explore how secure land rights can catalyse women’s economic empowerment.
Women’s economic empowerment is both a moral imperative and an economic necessity. Yet systemic inequities in access to assets, voice, and opportunities continue to limit women’s full participation in economic life. One of the most entrenched barriers is women’s insecure land rights. While nearly one in two farmers globally are women, they own less than 15% of land.
The session explored how secure land rights can serve as a pathway to economic empowerment, while also examining the role of storytelling in shaping public narratives and influencing systems-level change.
During the convening, AVPN welcomed Julia Quinn, acclaimed author of The Bridgerton Series, advocate, philanthropist and Goodwill Ambassador for Landesa. Following the session, Julia shared her perspectives on why women’s land rights remain such a critical — yet often overlooked — lever for advancing economic empowerment.
In Conversation with Julia Quinn
Why do women’s land rights remain one of the most overlooked but powerful levers for change?
“I do think people are becoming more aware of the importance of secure land rights as an accelerator for addressing some of the most pressing global challenges, but we’re just not seeing enough funding going to the women-led, grassroots organisations that know how to get things done on the ground. We know that when women are empowered with financial decision-making, they invest in their families and communities at levels we just don’t see from men.
This is why we need to seek out and support initiatives like Stand for Her Land, which is driving a global movement to strengthen women’s land rights in eleven countries and counting. Technical guidance and expert support are provided by a global steering committee, with Landesa serving as a trusted advisor. And we’re seeing great success. With the aid of Stand for Her Land_ and its partners, more and more women are gaining secure rights to their land.”
At the individual level, what changes for a woman when she secures land rights?
“It’s pretty simple. Land gives women a seat at the table. A woman who lacks secure land rights is seen as a second-class citizen. In fact, she may not be truly perceived as a member of the community at all.
But when she is understood to have equal rights to land, that perception — and the balance of power — shifts. Within her household, she is seen as an equal partner, with a voice in decision-making on how to manage the household’s land and budget. Within her community, she is invited into conversations about topics like land use planning and management.
And her lived experience in subjects like farming and land management, cultivated and passed down over generations, can help her community be more effective stewards and caretakers of their land.”
How can storytelling help reframe women not as beneficiaries, but as economic actors and land stewards?
“Much of Landesa’s strength comes from its ability to act at scale. But when you’ve helped over 700 million people as Landesa has done, it can be difficult to explain just how transformational land rights can be for a single individual. That’s where storytelling comes in.
Seven hundred million people can feel like a statistic. But when I sit down with audiences and tell the stories of women whose lives have been transformed by land ownership, they are no longer statistics. They are powerful changemakers who have enriched their communities.”
What message would you leave policymakers, investors and development leaders with?
“We all know the old saying: if you give a woman a fish, you feed her for a day, but if you teach her to fish, you feed her for life. But teaching a woman to fish isn’t enough. She needs to own the pond.
Women’s empowerment is impossible without secure and equal rights to land. At the root of food security, gender equality, climate action and a secure livelihood, you will find land. And these stakes apply to us all.
When a woman has secure rights to land, the ripple effect creates benefits in her household and community. At scale, populations are healthier and more prosperous, societies are more peaceful and economies are revitalised. The potential cannot be overstated. If you want to invest in women, invest in their rights to land.”
Beyond Individual Stories: Land Rights as Systems Change
The session also explored how land rights intersect with wider systems shaping women’s economic participation. Speakers highlighted that women often sustain key economic sectors — from agriculture to garment manufacturing and migrant labour — yet remain excluded from land ownership, legal protections and financial systems.
Widya Kumasinghe, Co-founder and CEO of EveryStory, reflected on the structural contradictions seen in countries such as Sri Lanka, where women contribute significantly to national economies but often lack formal documentation or land titles. Without these rights, many women cannot access compensation schemes, government programmes or affordable credit, leaving them structurally excluded from the rights and protections tied to land.At the same time, accessible information remains critical — rights mean little if women cannot access or understand the mechanisms needed to claim them.
Dr. Anuradha Rajan, Executive Director of South Asia Women Foundation (SAWF), emphasised that economic empowerment cannot be separated from broader rights, including safe workplaces, education, mobility and legal protections. Research in Kerala shows that women who own property often gain greater bargaining power within households and face lower vulnerability to domestic violence. Access to land and property can shift bargaining power within households, reduce vulnerability to violence and open pathways to government support, credit and agricultural subsidies. However, she stressed that ownership alone is insufficient unless women also have the legal awareness and confidence to assert their rights.
Examples shared during the session illustrated how even small structural reforms can drive significant impacts. In India, for instance, the addition of a second signature line on land purchase contracts enabled joint ownership between husbands and wives, helping protect women from displacement and strengthening their legal standing.
These examples reinforced a central message of the convening: while direct services remain vital, lasting progress requires systems change — reforming the legal, financial and social frameworks that shape women’s economic participation.
