Empowering women as a driving force behind innovation

A European project aims to give visibility to women who innovate in the agricultural sector, to raise awareness, and to empower women in the field, in order to create a supportive environment for female entrepreneurship. Among other things, the project is designed to draw the active engagement of stakeholders, including policymakers, organisations and experts in the sector. According to the European knowledge and innovation community EIT-FOOD, women’s entrepreneurs are disproportionately under-represented in agriculture compared to other sectors of the economy. More specifically, a survey conducted by the organisation documented the concerns of women active in the agricultural sector regarding their limitations, such as physical strength compared to men. This is a factor they report as affecting their competitive advantage in the agri-food sector. In addition, a significant percentage of participants stated that they lack the resources to grow their businesses, while others reported disparities in access to external funding, acknowledging they have less access to such resources than men do.

To contribute to solving these issues, the EU project provides a platform that showcases women innovators and their activities, with the objective of exchanging best practices and ideas and addressing innovation challenges faced by women in farming and in rural areas. The platform aims to facilitate networking and foster synergies between stakeholders. More specifically, the project has launched a publicity campaign aimed at ensuring a long-term impact beyond the project’s conclusion. Efforts are being made to ensure the long-term sustainability of the outcomes and to explore the integration of the developed materials and knowledge into existing platforms, facilitating continued access and use of the project’s resources beyond its completion.