Gender in Agri-Tech Ecosystems: Lessons for Europe and Beyond

Dear Colleagues,

The agri-food sector is increasingly becoming more digital and will continue to adopt advanced technologies at a rapid pace. The European Commission has emphasised the digitalisation of the sector as part of its Digital Agenda, as have numerous countries around the world. The digitalisation of agri-food has also been considered to contribute to addressing several Sustainable Development Goals: SDG2—zero hunger; SDG6—clean water; SDG7—clean energy; SDG8—decent work and economic growth; SDG12—responsible consumption and production; and SDG13—climate action, to name a few.

However, an SDG that is often overlooked is SDG5—gender equality. For this reason, this Special Issue invites papers that will focus on various aspects of gender and the digitalisation of the agricultural sector and adoption of advanced technologies therein.

There is serious concern about the future of women in agricultural and related technology sectors since women have been found to be underrepresented in both agricultural management and ICT sectors. While there is substantial research on the (lack of) inclusion of women in STEM, the connection between women and ICT in the context of developing countries, and to some degree within rural studies (e.g., digital skills and gender), has not been fully explored in the context of the agri-tech sector in Europe and other developed parts of the world. A substantial knowledge gap exists concerning women at the cross sections of agriculture and ICT sectors and the future impact that this would have on women and their participation in, and contribution to, an increasingly important, yet changing, sector.

This Special Issue has its roots in the initiative of two large-scale H2020 innovation actions: IoF2020 (Internet of Food and Farm 2020) and SmartAgriHubs (SAH), which have set up a gender committee. Their aim is to build inclusive and exponential agri-digital communities and networks showcasing agri-tech innovations which lead to more sustainable and competitive European agriculture. The European Commission’s study Women in the digital age and the Women in Digital initiatives found that few women participate in the digital sector. However, the Commission’s study found that if more women were to enter the digital job market, it could create an annual GDP boost of 16 billion EUR for the European economy. McKinsey (2019) estimated a global amount of 12 trillion USD. Other studies have found that companies with gender-balanced boards demonstrate better decision making and that companies with more women in management have better financial performance. Under-representation does not do justice to the abilities and participation of women, and in addition, excluding all these perspectives has implications for doing business, technology development, and policy formulation (PwC, 2017).

These far-reaching consequences reveal that in order for the current situation to improve, changes to organisational design, agri-tech business practices and processes, leadership structures, as well as government policy are required.

This Special Issue aspires to analyse the current situation of gender and the agri-ICT sector in the European Union (and globally) and propose innovative solutions and approaches to advance gender equality/mainstreaming.

Inter- and multidisciplinary submissions are welcome on:

• Organisational design initiatives, such as dedicated networks, agri-digital innovation hubs, etc.;
• Identification of barriers to gender equality in the cross sections of agricultural and ICT sectors;
• Good practices from public and private entities with the aim to encourage women’s employment, entrepreneurship and management positions in the agri-tech sector;
• The institutionalisation of gender equality/mainstreaming into organisations, including in policies, programmes, projects and/or services, structures, proceedings, and budgets;
• Rural women, agriculture, and digitalisation;
• Analysis of public policies and initiatives in the context of gender in ICT and agriculture sectors;
• Case studies offering valuable insights into strategy design, organisational change, mentoring programmes, and other existing innovative solutions;
• Other relevant topics.

Both qualitative and quantitative analyses are welcome, as are case studies and project results.

Dr. Cynthia Giagnocavo
Dr. Jürgen Vangeyte
Dr. George Beers
Dr. Ahmad Issa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• women
• gender
• agriculture
• digitalisation
• agri-tech
• gender mainstreaming
• gender equality
• ICT
• inclusiveness
• rural women