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Description
War in Ukraine, the climate crisis and the dwindling of natural resources are forcing societies to transform their food systems and change policies to greener ones. For this change to be effective, all citizens must participate. As food sovereignty and green agriculture activist Ewa Sufin-Jaquemart points out, rural women, including those working in agriculture, represent an extremely important potential for the introduction of green policies in rural areas.However, it is essential to support these women, including in building a sense of agency, organisational skills and overcoming gender-related socio-cultural barriers. Despite major societal changes, stereotypical perceptions of rural and urban women are still widespread. With this project, we want to break down these stereotypes and increase urban-rural cooperation in the area of food. The project is primarily aimed at activists or women aspiring to take action in food policy-making. The direct beneficiaries are 24 women aged 20-50. Half are women from rural areas and the other half are urban residents. We are building their competence and a sense of agency and influence in shaping local food policies. As part of the project, we organise meetings of the participants, offer workshops and encourage micro-projects to implement in pairs: an urban resident and a rural resident. Through the project, participants will increase their knowledge and awareness of climate change and the related food system. Additionally, they will strengthen their sense of agency and learn how to shape local food policies.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to raise awareness of climate change and the related food system, as well as to strengthen women’s sense of agency and equip them with tools to participate in shaping food policies at local and national levels. Focusing on food and its key aspect – food sovereignty, we wanted to increase women’s participation in activities influencing the transformation of the food system. We considered the lack of such involvement or its insufficient visibility to be the biggest challenge.
The project began in March 2023 with a 4-day training and integration meeting at the Ecological People''s University in Grzybów. During the meeting, classes were held on the impact of food production on the climate, food policy and short supply chains. Thanks to the design thinking workshops, the participants formed 4 groups: 3 provincial and 1 national and began the process of creating their mini-projects.
Then, the Flying School took place, a series of development and educational meetings aimed at preparing the participants to implement their own micro-initiatives, raise competences in the field of organizing and carrying out projects and actively shaping food policies.
The participants, using mentoring, developed and implemented 4 local mini-projects:
- "Easy Torun",
- "Smakuj Lokalne" happening carried out on the Market Square in Białystok,
- "Flying Market" event carried out in the library in Łódź,
- a reportage project published on the Agro-Perma-Lab website: "Field of Care. Stories at the Table with Those Who Feed Us": https://agropermalab.org/kobiece-mosty/
As part of this activity, 4 texts, 1 photo report with a short conversation and 1 video material were created.
In February 2024 The 2nd Joint 4-day Congress took place, which included workshop, lecture, and celebration elements, as well as a debate on "Women, food and local politics - how to increase our influence on reality?".
The main subject of the meeting was the debate on food sovereignty and its importance for adaptation to climate change, as well as cooperation between rural women and city dwellers. At the same time, the publication "Women''s Bridges - how women act for local food" was presented during the meeting.
Thanks to the right tools and activities, we managed to create a community of women interested in the topic of food and establish relationships based on trust and respect. All people were eager to share their knowledge and experience. A new network of contacts and cooperation was created.
One of the results is that at least 3 participants of the project joined the Community Supported Agriculture group in Toruń.
Some of the participants also joined the city garden in Toruń, which they got to know during the Flying School of Women''s Bridges. They currently meet and work regularly (https://www.facebook.com/jadalnyogrodkoi).
23 participants were trained on climate change, food sovereignty, activism, thanks to which they are better at working for local changes.
The evaluation, conversations and discussions show that the participants have deepened and continue to deepen their knowledge thanks to the educational materials sent to them. They visit local farms and map the food system. They actively use communication channels (e-mails, WhatsApp group) to ask questions, share their knowledge and plan further activities.
Participants have built a greater sense of agency and acquired skills in organizing themselves and combating socio-cultural barriers related to gender. Participants from cities have met participants from rural areas and together they recognize stereotypes related to this. Together they have explored the possibilities and importance of women''s contribution to policy-making at regional and national levels.
In turn, thanks to the publication published as part of the project, people outside the food environment can familiarize themselves with ways of working for climate protection through women''s movements and involving women from outside the movements in shaping local food policies.