The FAO report, The Status of Women in Agri-food System, highlights the growing role of women in the agri-food sector. A presence so prominent that it has led the UN to coin the phrase “feminization of agriculture.” The sector, which is one of the primary sources of employment globally for women, is thus, a crucial tool for empowerment. But it can become so if — as the FAO report itself points out — «adequate resources, skills, and capacities for action» are available; that is, if an environment is in place that fosters access to these opportunities and enables women to make full use of their potential. Empowering Women in Agri-food (EWA), a program that EIT Food, Dock3, and Future Food Institute have been running, has supported ten women to develop their projects through training and mentoring, offering them an essential network for sharing ideas.
On October 22, we awarded our winners in an extraordinary setting: the stage of +Gusto at Palazzo Re Enzo in Bologna. We heard from the biggest names in world cuisine; we talked about gastro-diplomacy, public food and local food politics, genius and creativity, landscape and food and wine, traditions, and innovations. We also met Mexican chef Elena Reygadas, who’s, “cooking culture”, received the Best Female Chef Award and who has become a symbol of efforts to close the gender gap in her country. The audience thus prepared to welcome the winners of the EWA 2023 award.