Engaging Women in Multi-Actor Approach (MAA) Projects
Stakeholder mapping in the PREMIERE project stresses the importance of well-balanced and inclusive consortia for Multi-Actor Approach (MAA) projects. It also highlights the importance of strong gender inclusion in Horizon Europe projects. Women are key players in farming, agricultural innovation, and rural development, yet their participation in MAA projects often remains limited. This reduces the diversity of knowledge and practical insights that women could bring to MAA projects under the European Innovation Partnership for Agriculture (EIP-AGRI) and Horizon Europe. The PREMIERE project applies a targeted strategy to make sure women farmers, advisors, entrepreneurs, and community leaders are engaged throughout all stages of project co-creation. Key actions should include 1.) Inclusive stakeholder mapping, which identifies women’s networks, cooperatives, and rural organisations; 2.) Adaptive engagement formats that are flexible and take women’s family responsibilities into account; 3.) Facilitating dialogue to ensure women’s voices and ideas are equally heard during project setup and implementation; 4.) Capacity-building activities, such as peer-to-peer learning, leadership workshops, and mentorship, that strengthen women’s confidence and skills; and finally, 4.) Showcasing women’s innovations, making sure their contributions are visible and valued. These actions lead to a more inclusive and innovative multi-actor approach in any project.
Preparing multi-actor projects in a co-creative way
Ongoing | 2023-2027
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Germany, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Poland, Slovenia, EU member states