NETWORKING: A KEY FACILITATOR FOR RURAL AND FARM WOMEN-LED INNOVATION

The FLIARA project has identified effective measures for promoting women-led innovations. Altogether 577 stakeholders and experts across Europe participated in teasing these out. Successful strategies to add women-led innovations in all types of rural areas include three key topics:

Apply social measures: Looking at the big picture of the measures to address the issue, about 80% of the proposed effective measures were social in character (examples such as good practices, education, equality, empowerment, visibility), and only 20% were ‘traditional’ administrative or economic measures (infrastructure and facilities, finance and subsidies and simplification of bureaucracy).

Invest in networks: Networks are by far the most effective measure to promote women-led innovations in all types of rural areas. All kinds of networks are needed: peer networks, stakeholder networks, client networks, etc. What are most needed are networks for co-creation and co-operation.

Remove obstacles: The single most common obstacle for women-led innovations is lack of demand for novel practices. Co-creation of progressive visions for the future and setting incentives for researching these visions creates demand for novel products, services, practices and organisations.