Paris, France, Monday 5 June 

• Within the framework of the EU Green Week, the SFS-MED Platform hosted the  webinar “Women as key players in Greening Mediterranean food systems: Drivers and Challenges”, co-organized by CIHEAM, FAO, Ufm and Prima 

• Mrs Frida Krifca, President of the CIHEAM Governing Board and Minister of Agriculture of Albania, opened the seminar with a keynote address on the status of women in agriculture, underlining the existing difficulties and the best practices to encourage the participation of women in Albania and in the Mediterranean region

• CIHEAM Students were given the opportunity to interact with the panellists and to ask questions on the main issues regarding gender imbalances in agrifood systems, with particular regard to the sectors of education and research 

5 June 2023, Paris (France) - In the framework of the #EUGreenWeek2023 and in collaboration with the event “Empowering Women Championing the Green Transition in the Mediterranean”, the SFS-MED Platform organized the fifth technical webinar of a series about the levers for food systems transformation. The SFS-MED Platform is a multi-stakeholder initiative for Sustainable Food Systems in the Mediterranean co-led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), and the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA).

The speakers were invited to reflect on what needs to change to address the persisting gender gaps undermining women’s potential role and equal participation in greening food systems in the Mediterranean region. Bringing together representatives from governments, agri-food enterprises, researchers, international organizations and civil society, the webinar provided a forum to exchange knowledge and concrete experiences about the role that multiple stakeholders can play in promoting the effective participation of women in greener, more sustainable and more resilient food systems in the Mediterranean. 

The Intervention of the CIHEAM President, Mrs Krifca

Mrs Frida Krifca opened the online seminar with a keynote address on the status of women in Mediterranean agriculture. She underlined that women have limited access to resources and still struggle to impose themselves as autonomous agents in rural areas. In addition, their work is often unrecognized and even discredited. In light of this, enhancing and reskilling women in agriculture is essential to accelerate the transition towards sustainable Mediterranean food systems. 

“I am convinced that together we can build a more inclusive and sustainable food system in the Mediterranean, and today’s discussion is a good beginning”, Mrs Krifca stated. 

CIHEAM Students take the floor 

During the Q&A, CIHEAM students were given the possibility to ask questions to the panellists on some issues they considered essential to foster the discussion on women's empowerment. In particular, many of them stressed the existing difficulties that female researchers face in the agri-food sector and called for policymakers to take concrete actions to ease their situation and for senior researchers to share their experiences. 

Finally, the attention switched to rural areas where women are responsible at the same time for care and agricultural work. Their situation is made more critical by climate change and increasing emigration. The students underlined that a better understanding of their living conditions is needed and that solidarity is essential to fully respond to their needs.