Learning Event summary
Enhancing women’s voices, meaningful participation and leadership in agri-food systems is not only key to increasing the empowerment of women but can also lead to more just and resilient agri-food systems. Despite these co-benefits, not all schemes and initatives are taking a proactive role in integrating gender equality measures. There are few purposive references to gender equality in standards and the focus is too often limited to the concept of ‘do-no-harm’ as opposed to ‘do-more-good’. Women’s contributions to value chains have not always been recognised and addressed coherently in standards, limiting their potential for representation and decision-making.
How can voluntary sustainability systems contribute to women’s effective participation and opportunities for leadership in value chains and rural communities? How would that lead to building more resilient agri-food systems in the context of climate change? How do we develop approaches that simultaneously support gender equality and other sustainability outcomes and do not increase vulnerability for women in all their diversity?
This Evidensia learning event, in partnership with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, on behalf of CGIAR’s HER+: Harnessing gender and social equality for resilience in agrifood systems Initiative, will explore these questions. We will build on the forthcoming HER+ Working Paper on voluntary sustainability standards, adding diverse perspectives from practice.
Speakers
Miranda Morgan | Gender Research Consultant | Alliance Bioversity International-CIAT
Melanie Chiponda | Climate Justice and Gender Advisor | FEMNET
Joky Francois | Global Gender lead | Rainforest Alliance
Dora Atiiga | Women’s School of Leadership Student | Fairtrade Africa
