Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SWIFT (Supporting Women-led Innovations in Farming and rural Territories)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-01-01 do 2024-06-30
Women knowledge, skills, labour and leadership in agriculture and food systems are frequently invisible and undervalued. Barriers to gender equality in European agriculture are socio-cultural, economic and political, and perpetuate women’s inequality within the mutually constituting ‘productive’ sphere of farming and in the ‘reproductive’ sphere of unpaid and undervalued labour. Examples include i) unequal access to land and productive resources, that limit women’s participation in agriculture, constructing gender roles and identities and resulting, among others, in ii) women under-representation in agricultural organizations; iii) agricultural education reinforcing stereotypes about farming as a male activity; iv) social closure that lead to women being discouraged from taking up tasks or acquiring farming skills. The structural gender inequalities in agriculture are acutely felt by social groups that experience multiple forms of oppression (migrant farmworkers, LGBTIQ+ farmers). These intersecting forms of discrimination pose significant barriers to transformative change in rural areas in Europe.
SWIFT’s overall objective is to foster transitions towards sustainable and inclusive development of rural areas in Europe by favouring the deployment of women-led innovations (WLI) promoting gender equality in rural areas from an intersectional, feminist and human rights-based perspective. This will enable to facilitate a change of framing of food to address the social realities that perpetuate inequalities. The EU’s commitment to purely economic measures of the viability of farming reflects the framing of food as a commodity that does not include the forms of farming more frequently led by women and fails to capture the commitments for the realisation of the right to food. SWIFT will contribute to gender mainstreaming in agricultural policies by providing tools (feminist farm viability indicators; Gender responsive budgeting-GRB) to facilitate the implementation of alternative framings of food.
SWIFT engages in applied feminist innovation studies, adopting a feminist, human rights-based, participatory and inclusive research methodology that applies an intersectional perspective. SWIFT aims to amplify social innovations to confront unequal social, economic and political structures in European agriculture. WLI are grassroots innovations built to challenge structural inequalities in agriculture in rural areas. Through the analysis of 21 WLI in 12 countries inside and outside Europe, SWIFT will study if, and how, agroecological approaches can promote gender equality, resilience and sustainability in rural areas. WLIs are organized into clusters: i) social security schemes; ii) participation in agricultural organizations; iii) access to means of production; iv) access to training, v) mutual support; vi) migrant women farmworkers vii) LGTBQ+ farmers; viii) Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
The project relies on a multi-actor community of farmers, CSO, NGO and researchers. It comprises 6 WPs designed to facilitate action-research. WP2 and WP3 are focused on deploying WLI while WP4 and WP5 are testing practical tools to introduce alternative framings of food in policies. In WP2 conceptual and methodological tools will be co-designed to analyse WLI. WP3 will amplify innovations through exchanges. WP4 will provide feminist viability indicators of farming and WP5 focuses on enhancing the gender-responsive nature of EU policy. WP1 and WP6 are committed to coordination and communication, respectively.
SWIFT’s overall objective is to foster transitions towards sustainable and inclusive development of rural areas in Europe by favouring the deployment of women-led innovations (WLI) promoting gender equality in rural areas from an intersectional, feminist and human rights-based perspective. This will enable to facilitate a change of framing of food to address the social realities that perpetuate inequalities. The EU’s commitment to purely economic measures of the viability of farming reflects the framing of food as a commodity that does not include the forms of farming more frequently led by women and fails to capture the commitments for the realisation of the right to food. SWIFT will contribute to gender mainstreaming in agricultural policies by providing tools (feminist farm viability indicators; Gender responsive budgeting-GRB) to facilitate the implementation of alternative framings of food.
SWIFT engages in applied feminist innovation studies, adopting a feminist, human rights-based, participatory and inclusive research methodology that applies an intersectional perspective. SWIFT aims to amplify social innovations to confront unequal social, economic and political structures in European agriculture. WLI are grassroots innovations built to challenge structural inequalities in agriculture in rural areas. Through the analysis of 21 WLI in 12 countries inside and outside Europe, SWIFT will study if, and how, agroecological approaches can promote gender equality, resilience and sustainability in rural areas. WLIs are organized into clusters: i) social security schemes; ii) participation in agricultural organizations; iii) access to means of production; iv) access to training, v) mutual support; vi) migrant women farmworkers vii) LGTBQ+ farmers; viii) Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
The project relies on a multi-actor community of farmers, CSO, NGO and researchers. It comprises 6 WPs designed to facilitate action-research. WP2 and WP3 are focused on deploying WLI while WP4 and WP5 are testing practical tools to introduce alternative framings of food in policies. In WP2 conceptual and methodological tools will be co-designed to analyse WLI. WP3 will amplify innovations through exchanges. WP4 will provide feminist viability indicators of farming and WP5 focuses on enhancing the gender-responsive nature of EU policy. WP1 and WP6 are committed to coordination and communication, respectively.
WP2 has performed a literature review on structural barriers and opportunities in agriculture in the context of WLIs in Europe. In the context of CEE, semi-structured interviews focusing on feminism in Polish agriculture have been performed, together with a review on feminism in agriculture in CEE and an expert discussion. A coded, searchable database of the Concluding Observations and Recommendations made by the UN human rights treaty bodies to the SWIFT countries has been created and a Working Paper on the barriers and opportunities identified is being prepared. A primary analysis of barriers for women participation in agricultural organizations has been conducted and participatory video with WLIs has started.
WP3 has organised 1 podcast training and 2 open spaces on "Agroecology and rural feminism in post-soviet countries" and on "Agroecological notebook cadernetas, making visible women work". 5 local exchanges have been finalised in Georgia, Spain (3), and Italy.
WP4 has finalised 2 literature reviews (on farm viability and on feminist approaches in social and solidarity economy). The first round of data gathering on farmer's task and time dedicated to them has been conducted.
WP5 has produced a systematic review on gender, rural and agricultural policy across Europe indicating areas where action is needed to ensure gender equality in agriculture. Also, Gender Analysis of the Common Agricultural policy (CAP) reveals that gender objectives are not adequately prioritised. A GRB workshop has been performed
WP3 has organised 1 podcast training and 2 open spaces on "Agroecology and rural feminism in post-soviet countries" and on "Agroecological notebook cadernetas, making visible women work". 5 local exchanges have been finalised in Georgia, Spain (3), and Italy.
WP4 has finalised 2 literature reviews (on farm viability and on feminist approaches in social and solidarity economy). The first round of data gathering on farmer's task and time dedicated to them has been conducted.
WP5 has produced a systematic review on gender, rural and agricultural policy across Europe indicating areas where action is needed to ensure gender equality in agriculture. Also, Gender Analysis of the Common Agricultural policy (CAP) reveals that gender objectives are not adequately prioritised. A GRB workshop has been performed
The literature review shows that gender is more often conceptualised as a condition (social constructivist approach) than as a category (different positions and roles of women in farming). Intersecting characteristics, reference to masculinities; non-binary identities; and protest, advocacy and collective action are sparsely studied. Findings prove the centrality of the heteropatriarchal family farm model and a lack of engagement with queer identities and race. Our work in post-soviet context shows that in the transformation process of women's situation in agriculture in Poland, cultural conditions and traditional constraints still pose a barrier for female farmers.
SWIFT builds on feminist policy analysis to challenge conventional views of policies, in line with our ambition to shift narratives around food and women farmers. The aim is: i) to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of legal frameworks and recommend changes to support gender equiality; ii) to identify and politicize taken-for-granted “truths” (e.g. stereotypes) that impede gender equality; and iii) to direct attention to the heterogenous relations that shape the lives of rural women. Analysis shows that the agricultural sector has restricted gender equality through an acceptance of agricultural exceptionalism and the tendency to depoliticize agricultural policy
SWIFT builds on feminist policy analysis to challenge conventional views of policies, in line with our ambition to shift narratives around food and women farmers. The aim is: i) to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of legal frameworks and recommend changes to support gender equiality; ii) to identify and politicize taken-for-granted “truths” (e.g. stereotypes) that impede gender equality; and iii) to direct attention to the heterogenous relations that shape the lives of rural women. Analysis shows that the agricultural sector has restricted gender equality through an acceptance of agricultural exceptionalism and the tendency to depoliticize agricultural policy