Women and their knowledge,values, vision and leadership are critical for moving forward. Migration and globalization mean that women’s work is increasing, yet women have far less access to resources than men. All to often, their work is neither recognized nor valued. For agroecology to achieve its full potential, there must be equal distribution of power, tasks, decision-making and remuneration. (Nyéléni Declaration, 2015)

In 2022, Schola Campesina facilitated the organization of 4 webinars related to gender in food systems and the essential role of women in advancing agroecology.

The webinars have been the opportunity for valuable exchanges and discussions amongst key actors of agroecology in the region. It allowed, amongst others to identify seeds and access to markets as key issues for women in the ECA region and are intrinsically linked to gender relations and inequalities. These two fields are crucial for women in all the countries of the partners that took part as speakers in this serie of webinars.

The webinars have served as a unique platform for exchange of experiences and practical solutions to address gender equality in food production and marketing, specifically in context of crisis or war. It gave visibility to women-led organizations that design, implement and monitor projects that recognize and valorize the role of women in health, nutrition, household livelihoods, trust relationship with consumers, innovative way of marketing, etc. It showed the extraordinary leverage that women organization represent. Beyond giving visibility to the silent role of women, the webinars also highlighted the variety of actions that are made possible thanks to organizations, and specifically women-led organizations.

Additionally, it also highlighting the role of data to defend and make visible the role of women. FAO REU colleagues presented why gender-related data are so important, how to use it and what is kind of gender-related data is missing.

 

Webinar 1  – Women’s initiatives linking producers and urban consumers and their importance in times of crisis (Central Asia region)

12 April 2022

A presentation of interesting experiences of women farmers and rural women in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan; and a discussion on the importance of their initiatives for the resilience in uncertain times, with the insights from FAO projects and available data

See the concept note and Agenda

Presentation of four experiences on women’s initiatives on linking producers and urban
consumers and their importance in times of crisis
♦ Kyrgyzstan: Farmer’s market and bistro and potential to face shocks and crisis situations, by ADI
♦ Kazakhstan: From “Cow on the balcony” to the current crisis situation, by Zher-Ana Astana NGO
♦ Tajikistan: activities on mulberry’s snack, cultivation of unique lemons, Tomiris NGO
♦ Uzbekistan: women-artisans and their importance in the new context

See the presentation on data related gender issues  relevant for advancing agroecology in Central Asia (SDG Indicators 5.a.1 and 5.a.2), Giorgi Kvinikadze, FAO REU Statistician

Recording of the webinar is available here

WEBINAR 2 – Women’s role in agrifood value chains in the Western Balkans

See the powerpoint presentations of experiences

See the presentation on data related gender issues  relevant for advancing agroecology in Western Balkans (SDG Indicators 5.a.1 and 5.a.2) , Giorgi Kvinikadze, FAO REU Statistician

 

WEBINAR 3 – “Seeds and Knowledge: Agroecology to strengthen autonomy of rural women (Eastern Europe)”

 

WEBINAR 4 – Agroecology for Women’s Economic Empowerment and Strengthening their Autonomy (South Caucasus and Turkey)

Othere resources related to Women and their knowledge, values, vision and leadership play a central role in Agroecology:

• Making invisible visible: gender-sensitive data to turn women’s knowledge into capital for better food and agriculture. By By Ana Benoliel Coutinho, 2023
• Without feminism there is no Agroecology (CSM, 2019)
• Farming Matters – Agroecology and feminism (CIDSE, Cultivate!, AgriCultures Network 2020)
• Understanding feminism in the peasant struggle – A “popular peasant feminism” (La Via Campesina, 2017). EN ES FR
• Miradas del movimiento agroecológico y feminista. (M. Nobre, 2017). ES
• Sistematización Primera Escuela Nacional de Agroecología “Sembradoras de esperanzas (Anamuri, IALA CHILE 2016) ES
• La construcción de una agenda feminista en la agroecología in Las mujeres en la construcción de la economía solidaria y la agroecología (SOF, 2015). ES
• Gender Equality and Food Security – Women’s Empowerment as a Tool Against Hunger (De Schutter for ADB, FAO, 2013). EN
• Our secret weapon against hunger: gender equality and women’s empowerment (Olivier De Schutter, 2012). EN
• ‘Gender and the Right to Food’, Report presented to the 22nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (De Schutter for UN, 2012). EN ES
• You Are Mostly Promised You Will Not Be Alone Women Farm Leaders Speak Out About Resistance and Agrarian Activism (Desmarais Annette Aurelie, 2005). EN
• Cultivating Gender Justice (Ahna Kruzic, 2017).  EN
• Feminist Practices for Economic Change Women’s autonomy and agroecology in the Vale do Ribeira region (Sempreviva Feminist Organisation, 2018) EN ES
• Without women there is no food sovereignty (Vivas Esther). EN
• CFS Forum on women’s empowerment in the context of food security and nutrition (CFS, 2017) EN ES