In a traditionally male-dominated field such as the agri-food sector, women are still underrepresented, and their contribution is rarely acknowledged. Women face gender disparities in access to natural and financial resources and must deal with several obstacles when entering the labour market or realising their entrepreneurial projects.

Despite these issues, women established themselves in this field over the years thanks to their commitment, competence and attention to environmental and social sustainability. However, much remains to be done to create a favourable ecosystem for female entrepreneurship.

These challenges and opportunities were discussed during the event "Voices from the Mediterranean", held by CESIE in Palermo (Italy) on the International Women's Day, in the framework of the InnovAgroWoMed-ENI CBC Med project.

Women's empowerment in agri-food systems was the central topic of the conference: experts and representatives from the business world provided their viewpoint on the role of women in this sector and their contribution to sustainable development and growth of the rural world. Speakers also discussed how to create enabling environments where young women can cultivate their entrepreneurial and innovative potential.

This was followed by the presentation of the start-ups financed by the project, with videos and testimonies of young female entrepreneurs from Italy, Palestine, Spain and Tunisia, who presented their business ideas and showcased the success stories that led them to create their start-ups.
The event was an important moment of shared reflection on the potential of women in agriculture and allowed participants to learn about strategies and tools to support female entrepreneurship in agribusiness, a sector with untapped potential for Mediterranean countries. 

The goal of the project InnovAgroWoMed is to boost women employability and entrepreneurship in the agri-food sector, an industry closely linked to the cultural identity of the Mediterranean region and showing a significant level of untapped potential in terms of innovation and growth.