Gender in Agroecology - structural barriers and identified strategies in the field [Webinar Recording]
Where are the women farmers? The gendered effects of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and how policies are not working to address the political barriers.
The European Commission has made an explicit commitment to gender equality but, despite this, a review of the role of women in EU agriculture has found that the CAP fails to consider women, with analysis further showing that some interventions potentially discriminate against women farmers – either creating or further solidifying structural disadvantages.
We explore definitions and narratives on gender and equality of the main social movements supporting agroecology in Europe.
In recent years, agroecology has gained momentum in politics, science and social movements (SSMM). We will focus on introducing the narratives around gender and equality and the role they play in challenging inequalities in current agri-food systems and in advancing agroecological transitions.
We hear case studies showing strategies that deal with the structural barriers from initiatives in the field.
We examine the functioning and viability of agroecological farms from a feminist perspective and going beyond monetary definitions, to help reframe and propose pathways for their sustainability – shedding light on indispensable and often overlooked dimensions, highlighting the importance in agroecology of care of both the agroecosystem and people.
We look at strategies developed by women leading agroecological initiatives to overcome structural barriers at project, sector and societal levels: the creation of mutually supportive networks, developing diverse training and knowledge access pathways, or collaborating with local stakeholders.
We explore how gender is measured and integrated through indicators in Agroecology-TRANSECT, in collaboration with Agroscope: addressing the role of women in agroecological transitions in farm surveys for three specific grasslands-based Innovation Hubs (Bulgaria, Switzerland, France).
Our speakers:
Elena Louise Alter, INGENIO (CSIC-UPV), Agroecology-TRANSECT
Raquel Luján Soto, INGENIO (CSIC-UPV), Agroecology-TRANSECT
Georgia Diamanti, Wageningen University and Research
Marta Guadalupe Rivera Ferre, INGENIO (CSIC-UPV), Agroecology-TRANSECT, SWIFT
Marina di Masso, UVic-UCC, SWIFT
Judit Maunel, INGENIO (CSIC-UPV), SWIFT
Cecilia Zagaria, Wageningen University and Research, Agroecology-TRANSECT
Of interest to:
Farmers, technicians, growers and land managers interested in gender equality in agroecology
Policy makers, Advisors and Researchers exploring factors that can help shape effective policies relating to gender equality in agriculture
Anyone who is part of a Civil Society Organisation or SSMM
Anyone involved in farming and food system sustainability and social justice.
This webinar is a collaboration between Agroecology-TRANSECT and SWIFT
Recorded in May 2025
Keywords: Access to land, Socio economic resilience, Transdisciplinary research
Country: Germany, Spain, EU
