Presentation short abstract

In this contribution we zoom into the barriers faced by women agroecological farmers in Madrid (Spain) from the project/family, to the sector and societal levels, as well as the strategies they have adopted to overcome them.

Presentation long abstract

Feminist agroecological researchers, activists and farmers have highlighted the need to address, with an intersectional perspective, how power relations operate in agroecological systems, in order to advance truly transformative agroecological transitions. Partially attracted by the feminist narratives of agroecology, new women farmers, frequently of urban origin, are promoting or engaging in agroecological initiatives. In the context of the current masculinisation and the difficulties for generational handover to women, women's incorporation into farming, also in agroecology, is critical. However, little attention has been paid to their stories and motivations and even less to the everyday challenges that women leading agroecological initiatives face. For the past 15 years, the three co-authors combined participation in activist spaces of the agroecology movement in Madrid (Spain) and an ethnographic approach including interviews and participant observation with women farmers . In this contribution we zoom into the barriers these women face at project/family, sector and societal levels, which include: personal conflicts of interest within collective initiatives, misunderstanding and undervaluation of their knowledge and decisions from other family/colleagues members, difficulties for family conciliation, little or no economic profitability, little or no support or even obstacles from their (mostly men) colleagues in the sector, repeated feeling of invisibility, lack of training, and difficulties to access land. Women agroecological farmers also reported strategies they have adopted to overcome the barriers they face, such as accessing multiple training pathways, collaborating with other stakeholders and creating formal spaces for participation and mutual support.