Omani dates entrepreneur Amna al Murshidi named FAO Woman Hero

Amna al Murshidi, the Omani founder of the Sohar Dates project, is one of 100 women named to FAO's Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations announced at a ceremony at its Rome headquarters.

The recognition puts a spotlight on a home-grown Omani business with a measurable track record. Al Murshidi's Sohar Dates project, an agrifood enterprise producing and marketing value-added date products, was named Best Home-Based Business in the Sultanate of Oman in 2017. Since then, she has built traditional date processing into a venture that promotes local products, supports the date value chain and preserves Oman's long-standing connection to palm cultivation, FAO said.

What does the honor actually recognize?

The FAO citation credits al Murshidi with more than commercial success. The organization said she has shown how women can balance family responsibilities, business leadership and community engagement while creating economic opportunities and showcasing Omani heritage to wider markets. Her work, FAO said, stands as an example of women's contribution to sustainable agrifood systems, rural development and cultural preservation.

That framing matters for the business case. Value-added date products — processing and branding rather than raw commodity sales — sit at the center of Oman's efforts to monetize its agricultural heritage, and Sohar Dates is one of the ventures proving the model can scale from a home operation to a recognized national brand.

How were the 100 selected?

The numbers behind the list are large. FAO received 609 nominations from 131 members after a call for submissions shared across the organization's membership, with each country's nomination allowance determined by population size. Shortlisted candidates then went through two further rounds of deliberations by senior leadership, assessing overall quality, balance and representativeness. FAO's Senior Leadership Committee approved the final list of 100.

The winners span regions, professions and backgrounds — farmers, entrepreneurs, researchers, educators and community leaders — reflecting the roles women play across agrifood systems, from producing food and protecting natural resources to advancing science and running businesses.

Why 2026, and why now?

The initiative marks the International Year of the Woman Farmer in 2026. The Rome ceremony also coincided with the International Day of Rural Women, celebrated annually on October 15, which recognizes rural women's role in agriculture, food security and the eradication of rural poverty.

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu opened the ceremony with a personal story. He paid tribute to the honorees and recalled his own grandmother, who raised him in a small village in China, taught him to farm and cook, and instilled in him the value of hard work, resilience and respect for the land.

"Everything I learned from her, she learned from the generations of women who came before her. And that is how knowledge changes the world," Qu said.

Turning to the 100 honorees, he highlighted their work protecting biodiversity, creating opportunities, advancing innovation, sharing knowledge and strengthening resilience to hunger, poverty and climate change.

"Across villages and cities, mountains and coastlines, forests and fields, you are doing extraordinary things," Qu said.

What's next for the recognition?

For al Murshidi, the FAO platform offers international visibility for Sohar Dates just as Oman pushes to expand export markets for its date products. The honor lands eight years after her 2017 Best Home-Based Business award, marking the distance from national start-up recognition to a global stage — and a signal that Oman's date value chain has a named ambassador in the International Year of the Woman Farmer.