The world we live in is no longer the same since women have been occupying transforming positions in our daily life, and above all, they show how important they are for the development of our society.  Domestic tasks are no longer their sole attribution and such tasks no longer limit their potential, on the contrary, women’s empowerment brought perspectives that are more positive to business management and innovation.

The theme of gender equality is not restricted to Brazil and equally affects other countries. So much so that it deserved special attention in the alignment of the Millennium Development Goals, established by the U.N. (United Nations Organization) in 2000. The third item stresses the need to promote gender equality and women’s autonomy.

In world agriculture, the scenario is not different. According to the 2011 edition of “The State of Food and Agriculture in the World”, prepared by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), women represent 43% of the rural workforce in the developing countries. According to FAO, it is estimated that when women’s access to the required financial resources and technologies is improved, women could increase plantation yields by 20% to 30%, and this would reduce the number of undernourished people by up to 17%, i.e., 150 million people.

Furthermore, according to FAO data, women represent 12.7% of the owners of land in Brazil, but they tend to receive less for their services: approximately 30% less than men. The salary difference increases in better educated population. Tradition and patriarchal cultural practices that reduce women’s social importance are the main reasons for the differentiation.

According to a survey about women in rural production, commissioned by the Brazilian Association of Agribusiness (ABAG), 1,300 women were identified as responsible for managing agriculture and livestock production in Brazil, 310 of which took part in the research. More open to innovation and to knowledge, 88% are financially independent, 60% have complete higher education and many times take part in actions of entities that represent the industry. The survey reveals that 14% of the interviewees are the main providers of their families; however, it also indicates that 71% had experienced the fact that being a woman was a barrier for them to be listened and to grow in their careers.

The study also shows that women can compensate the lack of technical knowledge about agriculture and livestock production because they tend to be more connected and communicative among them. Women that took part in the research showed a gregarious profile, a result of the exchange of experiences and information with their neighbors and consultants, emphasizing rural succession and family inclusion in the business.

In the coffee industry, the relationship of women with the commodity began timidly. They were present in harvesting and in the beans drying phase. Gradually, they increased their relationship with coffee production and today they are present in management and in all stages of the productive process.

Currently, coffee women are represented by the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA), an institution whose purpose is to diminish the barriers that women face to have access to resources, by disseminating knowledge in production, commercialization and monetary support.

In this sense, Cecafé has been disseminating knowledge since 2006 to producers of several regions of the country, providing also the opportunity of digital inclusion to women and their access to good agricultural practices, climate, prices and information for the good management of their properties. This can be seen in the Digital Coffee Farmer Program, in which 30% of the students enrolled are women.

This year, as an initiative to invigorate and integrate the Programs, Sustainable Coffee Hub was created, with the purpose of further invigorating sustainability actions in Brazilian coffee-growing activities, and also involving children, teenagers, rural producers and women of the coffee segment. It is focused on the people that interact in the coffee community, among which: children, through education and digital inclusion; teenagers, through family succession and entrepreneurship; producers, with emphasis in good agricultural practices and sustainability in production; women, aiming at gender equality with empowerment in agricultural and entrepreneurship activities.

This way, export trade is increasingly more involved in the search for fair social, environmental and economic development, through the dissemination of knowledge, further guaranteeing more competitiveness, quality, sustainability and Brazil’s absolute leadership in the world coffee trade. All of this, obviously, taking into consideration the equality of gender and the importance of Brazilian women to the development of agriculture.

 

Marcos Matos – General Manager

Marjorie Miranda – Coordinator of Social Responsibility and Sustainability Projects