On 3 March, the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) hosted a high-level conference in Berlin titled ‘Starke Frauen – Starke Landwirtschaft’ (Strong Women – Strong Agriculture). The event served as the national kick-off for the International Year of Women in Agriculture.

Dr Susanne von Münchhausen, from the HNEE team, was there to represent the FLIARA project. She presented our latest results to a room of around 110 representatives from across science, politics, and the farming industry.

The Reality for Women in Innovation

The presentation focused on the FLIARA case studies. While it’s clear that women are acting as ‘social catalysts’ and driving sustainable change on farms, they are still hitting the same old walls. Susanne highlighted that a lack of professional networks and difficulty in accessing capital remain massive hurdles for women with fresh business ideas.

Interestingly, the data also pointed to a quieter barrier: the self-doubt that often stems from working in a sector where women’s contributions are still undervalued.

A Room for Improvement

The event was a great step forward, but the turnout told its own story. Out of 110 attendees, only nine were men. As Susanne noted during the session, the ‘sustainability transformation’ in the food industry isn’t just a job for women—it’s going to take everyone joining forces to actually make it happen.

FLIARA’s recommendations for policymakers are now on the table in Berlin, pushing for better support systems and more diverse leadership in rural areas.