On Tuesday, May 6th, the Swedish partners of the FLIARA project organised a compelling webinar titled “Sustainable Futures for Gender-Equal Rural Areas – A Webinar on Innovation, Equality, and the Potential of the Countryside”. This online gathering brought together researchers, community actors, and other stakeholders to examine the future trajectory of rural areas in Sweden, with a specific lens on sustainability, innovation, and the critical aspect of gender equality.

The webinar was a key event within Sweden’s nationwide “Rural Week” (Landsbygdsveckan), a significant initiative dedicated to showcasing and discussing various facets of rural development through a series of events and knowledge-sharing activities. The session was expertly led by Dr Annie Roos, Anna Alexandersson, and Mathias Karlsson from Linnaeus University, in collaboration with Professor Helene Ahl from the School of Education and Communication at Jönköping University. All are integral researchers within the Swedish arm of the FLIARA project.

During the focused one-hour session, participants were introduced to key findings emerging from Work Package 2 and Work Package 3 of the FLIARA project. These work packages are dedicated to the crucial tasks of identifying compelling future visions for rural areas and meticulously analysing the innovations and essential support systems required to bring these visions to fruition. Notably, both work packages place a significant emphasis on understanding and amplifying the role of women as powerful agents of change within these rural contexts. Through insightful case studies showcasing successful female-led initiatives within Sweden’s agriculture and broader rural development sectors, the researchers effectively illuminated both the existing challenges and the significant opportunities for fostering more innovative, environmentally sustainable, and gender-equal rural communities.