• Women in agriculture took centre stage at the GRASS CEILING showcase in Vilnius, Lithuania
• CIHEAM Zaragoza leads the project's communication, dissemination, and the exploitation of results

29 September 2024.- CIHEAM Zaragoza participated in the GRASS CEILING showcase and consortium meeting held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 26-27 November 2024.

The event AgriFood Lithuania 2024 served as the backdrop for the EU-funded project showcase, featuring nine inspiring women entrepreneurs from national living labs.

Organised by the GRASS CEILING partner Agrifood Lithuania, CIHEAM Zaragoza actively collaborated in the design and management of the event's communication strategy.

Rural women entrepreneurs take centre stage

On November 26th, rural women innovators took centre stage, sharing their entrepreneurial journeys, goals, and how their involvement in the GRASS CELING living labs is supporting their aspirations in the agrifood sector.

Participants included Ines Dundovic (Croatia), Karen Keane (Ireland), Annalisa Pellegrini (Italia), Juste Jankauskiene (Lithuania), Anita Rennemo Galaen (Scotland), Aoife Gould (Scotland), Amada de Salas (Spain), Emma Hartelius (Sweden), and Irene Beukeveld-Evers (Netherlands).

GRASS CEILING also presented findings from various work packages. Topics included:

• Foresight on the future of women-led innovation in agriculture and rural areas: Silvia Rolandi, University of Pisa
• Incentives and obstacles towards women’s participation in innovation: Valentina Materia, Wageningen University, and Natasa Bokan (Zagreb University)
• Living Labs experience: Leana Reinl, South East of Technology University of Ireland
• Benchmarking agricultural and rural policies against gender inclusivity: Charlene Lambert, WEP, and Sally Shortall, SETU
• Policy Forum: Blanca Casares, AEIDL

Consortium meeting: Strengthening collaboration

On November 27th, the consortium met to assess the project's progress and coordinate upcoming actions. Laura Quijano, from CIHEAM Zaragoza, conducted a workshop and presented updates on the development of the online training program. This initiative plays a pivotal role in facilitating knowledge transfer and empowering women in the agrifood sector.

The event also provided an excellent opportunity to gather valuable insights and create engaging content focused on the human stories behind the project. Santiago Algora, from CIHEAM Zaragoza, shared updates on the progress of the communication efforts and outlined the action plan for future activities.

CIHEAM Zaragoza leads the project's work package on communication, dissemination, and the exploitation of results.