News Category: Read

24th July 2020

Yesterday, we heard from four diversity champions from across our sector, who discussed why in these challenging times, focusing on diversity should still be a key priority for businesses in our industry.

We were left feeling determined and empowered to make change, and feeling positive that progress, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction to a more inclusive and diverse industry.  Many of the attendees also had their questions answered in a live chat with our leaders. We’ve rounded up the questions and answers below and summarised some key takeaways from an inspirational session.

Our contributors included

Chrystiane Junqueira, VP of HR Centers of Expertise and Corporate Functions, Bunge
Jennifer Walker, VP of Human Resources, ADM
Ebony Webber, Chief Operations Officer, MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences)
Julie Zimny, Global HR Lead, Cargill Animal Nutrition

Polls

Attendees also took part in four polls during the webinar. Check out the results below:

Questions and answers from our live chat

Leadership

Q. How can we support emerging leaders in other communities, or our own? How can we advocate and vouch for each other?

A. (Jennifer) Championing emerging leaders is key – how we amplify other voices and give exposure to other leaders, networks or within our communities. Reaffirming someone’s idea. Giving credit. Amplifying a voice – This person is doing wonderful work in this…You should know this person…How can we partner with this person? Shining a spotlight to magnify a voice.

Diversity

Q. Our agriculture organization has remained largely quiet during Black Live Matter and diversity discussions because we don’t have any policies or statements and want to make sure we can “back-up” our position (walk the walk). Any suggestions for how to get started?

A. (Ebony) Many companies have to assess where they start. I think the internal evaluation of your policies, workforce demographics and marketing images, all portray if a company has commitment to diversity and inclusion. After you have assessed your internal make-up, beginning to chip away at these internal processes that create barriers for obtaining the diversity you want to see. Most often, just a commitment to change is enough to get started

Q. Can you give examples of when it’s a good idea to celebrate a win or a success when it’s on a journey as opposed to end of a project?

A. (Julie) Celebrate as you go and recognize the small wins along the way. Whether it’s achieving part of a goal, or a milestone that’s in support of the larger strategy, I believe it’s important to communicate that progress!

Q. Which groups do you think require the most support and outreach work to create a more diverse workforce in our industry?

A. (Ebony) Those who are most underrepresented: Women, Ethnic minorities, and Millennials

Q. What about encouraging age diversity within teams and organization

A. (Julie) Absolutely! Our diversity efforts span a variety of focus areas, and we know that experience and time in the industry is so beneficial

Q. How do you think the black lives matter movement has influenced how your businesses now see diversity

A. (Ebony) For our organization, it has made it “ok” to discuss racial diversity, which hasn’t been at the top of the conversation when having these conversations with agribusinesses. Additionally, companies have begun to take stock of the “elephant in the room” and where they may need to make additional investments and look at their recruitment strategies to racially diverse communities

Q. My primary clients I work with are upper management in my region, all of which are older, white, males. I struggle with getting buy in that diversity and inclusion is critical to engagement and retention. How do we get buy in if the decision makers have similar lenses

A. (Julie) Increasing awareness is one of the first steps in engaging men as allies. We’ve worked hard to ensure that our leaders understand the impact of engaging women at all levels. Retention efforts have been in place for a number of years with tactics such as stay interviews playing a role in the strategy of retaining women in our business

Q. How can we increase diversity in more rural settings and jobs that aren’t office-based? What can organisations that support agriculture do to help increase diversity in agriculture on the farm

A. (Jennifer) We’ve found that partnership is key. At ADM, we have locations in very rural, remote settings. And all of my fellow panellists are finding that we are solving the same problem. We’re partners of Together We Grow: Advancing American Ag. How can we bring companies, academic partners, NGOS and gov bodies to create support structures and partnerships? We can’t solve this on our own, but if we can create strong partnerships and networks we can make communities – where we work/live – more attractive

Q. What do you think is the biggest barrier to diversity in our industry

A. (Ebony) Complacency is one of the single biggest barriers. Change is uncomfortable and takes effort and intention. Remaining with the status quo. It’s insane to think one can continue with the same recruitment strategies and hope to yield different results. We have to be willing to change things that don’t work.

Equality

Q. What can we do, at the secondary level of education to inform and prepare students for careers in agriculture?

A. (Chrystiane) There is  never a one size fits all due to how the industry operates globally. In my prior experience we connected principals of schools at the communities we operate. They always had a door open and partnered with us in building the solution that would fit best with that school.

Q. A lot of you keep mentioning mentorships, how do you go about getting a mentor?

A. (Jennifer) Ask! Engage with someone that you believe you could learn from. Being asked to share and partner with someone is one of the highest honours that someone can pay us. Mentors can be more senior leaders, our peers or those outside of professional setting. And, hopefully you can have several different mentors as you learn different things from different people.

Q. What advice would you give to a female student/agricultural entrant working in a global company who has experienced micro-sexism (often from senior managers) but fears reporting it will prevent progression in the business?

A. (Julie) Reporting is so important! The fear of not speaking up is real, AND if we want to shape the industry, addressing issues when they happen is imperative. Reporting will influence leaders and drive change!

Q. I work in training/ qualifications and development. What skills do you think are skills are most important to new entrants and how do you think we can better advertise Agriculture as a career?

A. (Julie) Great question! A couple of things come to mind for me. First, I think there’s a great opportunity to really market careers in agriculture as the industry provides a wide range: from trading to sales, consumer insights, quality and nutrition services. It’s one of the reasons we’re really focused on casting the widest net for candidates with a diverse set of experiences.

Q. I would love to learn more about the tool that Cargill used to examine job descriptions. Can you tell us the name of it?

A. (Julie) Absolutely! Textio is the company we’ve partnered with – you can find more information here: https://www.textio.com

Q. Can  you offer advice on how to effectively encourage young people into Agri industries?

A. (Ebony) Representation matters. Having mentors and programs in place to encourage these various career paths as well as a roadmap on how to obtain some of the well-paying jobs in the industry. In my experience, young adults want to work and have a good lifestyle. Lack of awareness of these jobs and exposure to what they entail is one of the barriers. Also, many have a negative, out-of-date idea of agriculture.

Careers

Q. I like the comment from Ebony that states “Negative out-of-date idea of agriculture” I experience this first hand as a mother of a teenage daughter. I find they don’t teach about ag in schools or women in this industry in school. What is a tactical approach to start these conversation at school age?

A. (Ebony) We have to begin to shape the narrative that agriculture is STEM. Without, agriculture, there would not be any other industry to work in because we all would be worried about how to feed our families. We have to work with our educators to ensure they understand these fundamentals.

Q. I’m interested to know how many women hold roles in executive positions in your companies? The global company I work for as far as I know doesn’t have any women in the executive/director level

A. (Chrystiane) In my experience I leveraged local agencies or cooperatives to partner with us in the journey so it is easier to respect  their culture, while educating them about the benefits of inclusion. When I say educate them I mean local leadership, females and males and even your current employees as well. We also started going to their school (middle school) talking about your company, the type of work… is it a long journey and you need to believe that you are seeding it correctly.

Q. What do your male colleagues think about the topic? Are they open to discuss this topic, does it sound serious enough to them?

A. (Jennifer) In my experience, absolutely. What I’ve found is that a great deal of my colleagues want to be allies, want to be good partners. Sometimes the obstacle is how to help, how can I be a good partner? But by recognizing there is an opportunity, a commitment to help – that’s how we can make progress, together. We can’t do it alone.

Key Takeaways

Jennifer – Diversity and inclusion can’t be a ‘project’ or an ‘initiative’ – it simply has to be the foundation for who we are and what we do. 

Individually we can see progress but it’s only when we come together as industry that we can build systematic sustained change. It’s the workforce we’re building for tomorrow. 

Diversity is not a sprint – it’s a journey and a destination that we need to grow and get to. 

Ebony – I see diversity as a celebration of the unique perspectives that everyone brings to the table. 

When acting on diversity, she say “Be intentional, be patient and be purposeful. It’s easy to slide back to the status quo if you’re not focused on being the change. 

Julie– Since COVID-19, we’re now prioritising performance over presence. We’re challenging so many assumptions since COVID-19 – we can allow people more time at home and they still accomplish everything the need to. COVID has accelerated the future of work. 

We now have a library of de-biased job descriptions and have seen more women applying (successfully) for job roles.

Chrystiane – COVID-19 has allowed us to reach quickly, and react together. Our leaders have a common understanding about what diversity and inclusion means, and how can the leaders lead more inclusively.  We’re working on dialogue and raising awareness of unconscious bias in women and men.

The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) has made history by electing its first ever female president.

Lena Johansson has been an agricultural journalist for 30 years and is currently political editor in chief for Land Lantbruk, LRF Media, in Stockholm, Sweden.

She was unanimously elected at a delegate assembly held online due to coronavirus restrictions and succeeded Owen Roberts of Canada who stepped down at the end of the two-term limit.

Ms Johansson, who has been IFAJ vice-president since 2016, said: “Agricultural journalism is much too important to be left only to the general media and lockdown with the coronavirus has shown how much we need each other, both socially and in our work.

“A strong IFAJ has meant a lot to me both personally and professionally, and I hope we can continue this way in the future.”

The IFAJ represents more than 5,000 communicators in 50 countries, including the UK, with members focussing on sharing new technologies and information relevant to the agricultural industry.

The organisation was the media partner of the 2019 Women in Food and Agriculture Summit held in Amsterdam.

Resilience is a skill that is being recognised more and more as impactful in the workplace. When we speak of resilience, we are talking about the ability to come back from challenging situations.

Originally from Belgium, Alexia Michiels is the co-founder of The Resilience Institute Europe. After gaining a degree in Commercial and Consular Sciences, she worked in marketing and media for 10 years. She then lived in China for 5 years, where she became a certified professional coach and a yoga instructor. That is where she met Dr Sven Hansen – founder of The Resilience Institute – and joined his team. Convinced by this holistic and evidence-based approach, Alexia understands that resilience needs to be cultivated daily, mobilising all our resources: body, heart, mind and spirit. Alexia is the author of the book L’Elan de la Résilience, or The Resilience Drive.

Impact on generations

Ms Michiels says: “Leading by example has the strongest impact. At work with your team members. At home with your kids.
“We acknowledge that resilience is a set of competences that can be learned and cultivated. It is therefore critical to bring the topic on the table and increase ‘resilience awareness’.

“In my experience, millennials and Gen Z need to reinforce their resilience foundations – the ability to rejuvenate smartly, sleep enough, eat healthy and exercise regularly. A basis to progress as a resilient professional. Awareness precedes action which then leads to results – and that’s how we can build resilience.”

Habits

Walking meetings are becoming popular and are a strategy Ms Michiels recommends.

She says: “Walking meetings work best when there is no need to take notes but rather an open conversation on a certain topic. You may want to consider recording the dialogue, if appropriate and if both parts agree.

“Resilience is not a character type. It is a set of competences that anyone can strengthen through some practices. As there is no ‘one size fits all’, there are lots of habits that will help you build resilience – anyone can find what fits his/her personality type!

“As the working environment continues to change, our ability to act resiliently will be integral to navigating through new challenges and ensuring success. We now understand that while resilience is important in the workplace, in order to truly become resilient, these qualities must be nurtured outside of work and in day-to-day routine.

Sometimes it is hard to be brave in your career, but making decisions and taking opportunities is key, says Christine Tacon.

The question of how to work effectively and efficiently is brought up a lot as we navigate through our careers. Sometimes when challenges present themselves, it can be difficult to know how to address these.

Christine Tacon, who became the UK’s first Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) in 2013 and has achieved significant cultural change in the sector, has a wealth of advice on how to address challenges that can be presented in the workplace.

Making a change

“I always start with data, get the facts together and build pictures with what they show as that always helps,” Ms Tacon says. “Then talk about what you have found with others. That’s what the team is for and together you will have better ideas. I have once turned to external consultants when I joined a business and the top team was stuck, but that would never be my first step.”

Sometimes it is hard to be brave in your career and it takes one type of bravery to do something new, she says.

“This is exciting and generally you will have a team to ride the rollercoaster with you. It takes another type of bravery to cease doing something. In this case, remember it is more important to protect most of the jobs than all of the jobs. Be decisive, treat people kindly and always deliver bad news face to face. It makes it much easier to live with afterwards.”

Opportunities and career progression

For those who feel stuck in their careers, additional qualifications, such as an MBA or a PhD, could provide an answer, but how important are they to career progression?

“It depends on the role,” Ms Tacon says. “Sometimes people get stuck in their careers in which case external study, such as an MBA, gives you time to reflect, a lot more theory and a great platform to relaunch your career.

“I notice that many people do short stints at management schools now, from a week to a few months. If your business offers you that, then grab it with both hands. But for a lot of people doing an MBA on your own is costly and time consuming so I would always encourage people to push for training in their own Personal Development Plans and find out what the business can offer. Sadly, I don’t see agricultural businesses being at the forefront in this area.”

Mentoring

Mentoring is another great option for those seeking guidance and professional development, but should they be a leader and/or from inside your company or department?

Ms Tacon says: “Mentors should really be outside your business, as they are helping you, without any conflict. Seek someone you respect and who realistically has time for you, the gender is irrelevant, but it must be someone you can relate to and whose advice you will value.”

Following on from the success of the 2019 Women in Food and Agriculture event in Amsterdam, we recently asked our participants, speakers and advisory board what they thought the most pressing issues were for women in  in our sector. It seems the most common answers can be grouped into three main themes: environmental issues, consumer demands, and the implications of science and technology.

Environmental, sustainability and climate issues

As consumers become more aware and conscious of where their food is coming from, companies are facing pressure to ensure they maintain sustainable practices and make more environmentally and climate friendly decisions.

One of the more notable topics we received feedback on is sustainability. Sustainability is a global issue for the food and agriculture industries, and one that will have long lasting impact. The women we spoke to seemed actively interested in the concept of sustainability as well as best practices around the world. The questions that seemed to be the most pressing from the women we spoke to included: how can companies successfully build a brand identity around sustainability? Can and should governments get involved to help drive better sustainability practices?And what could these interventions look like, and how would they be implemented?

When speaking on environmental issues, it is only natural that climate change is addressed. Unusual patterns in weather have caused issues in production, and so the question about whether there is a way to effectively measure and prepare for such incidents has been raised. In addition to this, many conversations we had saw companies trying to better understand their impact on climate changeand how to effectively reduce and maintain this reduction in the future.

Science and technology

As the world is constantly evolving, many of our conversations were centred around the growing use of technology in the agribusiness sector, and many of the women we spoke to expressed the need to understand how technological innovation can help in creating a more efficient business. This sector has become increasingly data reliant, and so everything from data management tools, to analytics, AI implications and even robotics, has the potential to have a positive impact on efficiency. But people want to understand what would the short-term implications be? How many companies are looking into this and are there already any success stories the industry can learn from?

Consumer demands

Generational factors have always played a role in determining consumer trends. Now that those in millennial and Gen Z groups are becoming older and starting to make purchasing decisions, how have trends changed? With more information readily available to them than ever before, how have the ways in which these generations think about food shifted? What does this mean for the future of the food and agriculture industries?

We’ve seen an emergence of disruptors to the industry that are causing traditional protein companies to look at their approaches more carefully. Alternative dairy and meat products are taking the industry by storm and have seen incredible growth since their introduction to the market. These products reiterate the idea that consumers are choosing products they believe to be more ethically and environmentally friendly, even if it means sacrificing quality, convenience, and low price. Women in our industry wanted to understand what traditional agribusinesses can learn from the alternative protein movement and how has such a new and experimental product gained so much popularity so quickly.

In all the conversations we have had with women in our industry, an overarching theme seems to be understanding how to best prepare for what the future will hold. Indeed, all of the topics we touch upon in some way contribute to the ways in which the world is changing. It seems the most important topic to women in food and agriculture in 2020 is the ability to be prepared for what the future might bring.

Building a sustainable future in agriculture is a topic that is being discussed more and more. Indeed, more companies are creating entire divisions and dedicating large parts of their budgets to understand this concept.

As consumers become more informed about what goes into their food and where it comes from, it is down to those companies providing products to ensure these new demands are met. ‘Sustainability’ includes many different considerations including transparency, environmental impact, and even ethical and moral standards.

Jack Bobo, a speaker at the first Women in Food and Agriculture event and Chief Executive of Futurity, took some time to talk to us about sustainability in the food and agriculture industries. Futurity is a food foresight company that helps food and agriculture organisations understand emerging consumer trends and behaviours to position themselves to thrive in an ever more complex world. Mr Bobo also has extensive experience prior to Futurity within the agriculture industry; with high-ranking positions at synthetic biology company Intrexon Corporation and the U.S. Department of State.

Environmentally friendly

The most important change that would lead towards sustainable agriculture and a sustainable food system is a change in mindset, says Mr Bobo.

“We cannot achieve our environmental objectives by focusing on the top one, two or even three technologies, ideas or policies. Environmentally friendly agriculture can only occur if we reduce food waste and improve productivity of plants and animals and adopt healthier diets and adopt a dozen other innovations. Sustainable agriculture is the sum of its parts.”

Consumers

The consumer plays a key role in businesses’ decision making, but should agriculture be working towards the one issue consumers care most about, or another issue that maybe has a more substantial impact?

Mr Bobo says: ‘There isn’t one consumer, there are many (rich and poor – environmentalist – foodie, rural – urban) and they all have different priorities. Even individual consumers have competing interests.

“We sometimes buy things because they are a good value and other times, we want expensive or sustainable or nutritious foods to meet other needs or values. The food industry should work to deliver products that are healthier and better for the environment tomorrow than they were yesterday.”

Reacting to change

Overall, it seems like a crucial aspect to creating a sustainable future for food and agriculture is to not only understand the changing needs of consumers but to also embrace them. Those companies that are most successful in building and maintaining sustainability are those which are able to see these changes coming and act accordingly.
Mr Bobo says: ‘The automotive industry is not necessarily the most sustainable sector of the economy, however it is built on a philosophy of continuous improvement. Each year cars deliver new features that generally includes improvements in safety and mileage. By setting common goals the industry ensures that everyone is held to the same standard.”

Suniti Mujumdar was on her way to entering medicine, when she swerved off that path and entered the world of agriculture at Alltech. That was in 1997 and the rest, as they say, is history.

“I wanted to apply my interest in science and human behaviour in a different way and I unintentionally crossed paths with Alltech,” remembers Ms Mujumdar. “I’m glad I took a chance that has led to a career of intention with an industry filled with purpose, diversity, inclusivity, and people who make a difference in nourishing the world.”

Ms Mujumdar is now Alltech’s educational engagement manager, where she’s been for the past eight years, having worked her way up from communications intern, to marketing and branding roles.

“In those early years, I had to be a jack of all trades,” she remembers. “I was often at the start-up phase of projects and so it’s been really rewarding to see those brands develop and grow globally since.”

Inspiring young agricultural scientists is now one of her driving forces, particularly women.

A hugely important part of this is science outreach work in schools, colleges and universities. This has included Alltech building 14 school science labs in Kentucky and Ireland and the global Alltech Young Scientist competition.

Why is outreach important for inspiring women into science and agriculture?

 “It is extraordinarily important to have female scientists engaging and inspiring women,” says Ms Mujumdar.

“So many of the innovations that are driving the industry forward are coming from female scientists.”

The Alltech Young Scientist competition, now in its 16th year, plays a big outreach role, she says. More than 60,000 students have participated from more than 70 countries, with US $1m awarded for educational development.

“It’s considered one of the world’s most prestigious agri-science competitions for university students and has discovered some of the best and brightest upcoming researchers from universities around the world,” says Ms Mujumdar.

“Last year three of the four global finalists were female, and the winner was too. For other women in the audience it was great to see, and to think; ‘wow, I could achieve that, I could be up there too’.”

Are things changing for women in the industry?

“There are a lot of strong women in agriculture who’ve been doing amazing work for years, but they are often invisible,” says Ms Mujumdar. “I heard a female speaker once say; ‘we have all these people who are literally standing next to us and aren’t seen’.

“But, things have definitely changed over the years. I studied biology and psychology and had no agricultural background, so when I entered the industry it was very clear and visible to me just how male dominated it was.

“But I’ve seen it change in Alltech and the wider industry. The female presence has grown and not in stereotypical roles that women often get pigeonholed into.

“I’ve watched women take on manager roles, and some of our best technicians, IT staff and sales people are women. It’s been great to see. The change I see is because of greater visibility and the voice of women.”

That can apply to other places in the world too. Specifically, on-farm, where women’s role in agriculture is less recognised, adds Ms Mujumdar.

“It’s interesting to see how different cultures react to a strong women moving forward in a leadership role – it can be confusing, but also inspiring for other women.”

How has a bigger female presence at Alltech changed things?

 “Women have this ability to multi-task and to be mindful not just of ourselves, but of the greater good. And I do think the female voices that have contributed have changed the way we do things. They’ve shown that it’s ok to take a moment to think about things a bit more before carrying on.”

How can we support women’s careers more?

“It’s our responsibility as an industry and as women to ensure women are seen and heard,” says Ms Mujambar.

“This is the responsibility of men too. If a company’s management is male dominated, it’s really important that female talent is recognised.”

Mentorship is also extremely valuable, says Ms Mujumdar, and she has herself benefited from both female and male mentors who’ve helped guide her, and has been a mentor herself.

Mentoring with gender and cultural sensitivity is key, she says. “Women often have this mindset that we’ve been taught, which is ‘I can’t do this, it’s not for me’. So it’s about improving their confidence and telling them they can do anything, and often better than their male counterparts!”

What do you see for the next generation of women?

 “I think young women are now coming into the industry with a lot more confidence,” says Ms Mujumdar. “And this younger generation has a very strong approach to collaboration.

“It feels like they will all reach out to each other and build each other up – it’s very inspiring to watch and it’s a huge lesson we can take from them, and to ensure that as women we are building each other up.

“I feel more and more inspired by this generation and its approach to agriculture. But we need to make it clear that that agriculture is an inclusive and diverse industry – raising that voice to attract new talent is critical.”

What female inspiration can we find through the Alltech ONE Virtual Experience?

 “We have a lot of strong, female keynote speakers,” says Ms Mujumdar. “A lot of people have been commenting about how many cool women we have presenting!”

The keynote address kicks-off with former astronaut Cady Coleman, who is herself a strong champion for women, she says.

The Experience launches on 18 May., with keynote speakers and special presentations streaming throughout the week. There will also be on-demand sessions, including on agribusiness, aquaculture, beef, crop science, dairy, pig, poultry and sustainable agriculture. Registrants receive 24/7 access to all content until May 2021, with new, exclusive content added monthly

To register for the Alltech ONE Virtual Experience and save $150 USD, visit one.alltech.com and use the code AGRIB2020.

On the back of International Women’s Day (March 8) and as plans for the second Women in Food and Agriculture (WFA) Summit get under way, Unilever announced it had achieved 50/50 gender balance in leadership roles across its brands and BASF committed to increasing the number of women at the top to 30 per cent by 2030 after achieving its 20 per cent by 2020 target a year ahead of schedule.

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women – while also marking a call to action for accelerating gender equality.

This year’s theme is #EachForEqual and challenges participants to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women’s achievements.

It comes after a WFA survey laid bare the challenges facing women in the agri-food sector, the differences in opinions between men and women, how women perceive their employers, workplace culture and what they believe are the barriers holding women back.

Out of more than 2,500 respondents, only 50 per cent of women said they were well represented at the top of food and agricultural businesses.

Results of the survey, commissioned by WFA Summit organiser AgriBriefing, were revealed at last year’s event in Amsterdam.

Delegates said the two-day event, sponsored by Alltech, helped them gain a better understanding of the key challenges facing the sector, while also providing networking opportunities and a chance to develop leadership and management skills through a range of interactive seminars and workshops.

Mary Bowman of Galbraith Group said: “The content and workshops made for a highly motivational experience which made me think forward in my career and gave me a positive boost in confidence regarding the future, both personally and within agriculture in general.

“Not only was it informative regarding different agricultural practices globally, but it was also hugely inspirational. The plethora of different land-based roles women are undertaking all over the world is extraordinary, giving me some great new ideas about where my career might take me in the future.”

Claire Simonetta of Torloisk Farm, Isle of Mull, added: “Although the overarching theme was gender equality by empowering women, the conference managed to deliver a realistic yet optimistic and in my opinion incredibly valuable message that gender equality is achieved not by constantly focusing on gender, but by doing the exact opposite.

“Forget about somebody’s gender, let’s find talented and motivated people and marry them together with a job where their talent is valued, needed, and encouraged, regardless of whether they are female or male.”

Caroline Mason, Co-op, said: “I really appreciated the conference covered how to be a female in leadership combined with the challenges that we face over the next 30 years across the global food system.  It was a welcome balance of self-development, combined with technical reality information sharing and debates.

“At no point did it feel like it was a conversation about men versus women, instead, it was how do we help each other as women in leadership to create diversity.”

Over 300 delegates from 26 countries made their way to Amsterdam for the inaugural Women in Food & Agriculture Summit. The agribusiness and food event brought together some of the sector’s most progressive and disruptive thinkers with an audience that wanted to openly debate the inclusivity and diversity of the agrifood industry.

The speakers covered a host of progressive topics including the role of blockchain in generating more income for farmers, how the Dutch are planning to pay farmers for the true cost of food production and what the sector needs to do to address its sustainability challenges.

The boldly named gathering, which encouraged all genders to attend, sparked an intentional stream of questions on social media according to the event organiser Olga Korzhova.

“The event was not about sexism nor feminism, it was about an intentional provocation of some hard-hitting conversations,” she says. “When we first raised the idea with our 20 strong steering committee, and number expressed their concern with a gender biased event.”

However, she adds that the survey the organisers conducted prior to the event highlighted the need for it to be held and in the way that it was held.

The survey had 2,500 respondents, 72% of whom were women; the dominant feedback was that there is a difference in how women feel women are treated in the sector, versus how men feel women are treated.

Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, the sponsors of the survey, addressed the event on the first morning, and said that he’d heard a number of times at the event that women felt that the sector was male dominated.

“One of the biggest challenges we face across the industry is the war for talent,” said Dr. Lyons. “We cannot lose great people because they perceive the ag industry as male-dominated. That’s a crisis for the entire agri-food sector.”

There were very frank and open discussions between speakers and delegates agreed that the sector is making some great strides in becoming more inclusive, but also it highlighted what barriers there are for women in all ages and stages of their careers.

“Topics like the danger of unconscious bias, managing changed and the importance of mentoring for women at all stages of their careers were dominant in conversations that we heard,” Ms Korzhova added.

Commenting on the event, Jane King, CEO of AHDB, the UK agricultural and horticultural levy board said:

“I was hugely inspired by the warmth, ambition, talent of the women that gathered in Amsterdam. It felt as if a movement had begun to drive change for an industry that we are all passionate about. The tone of conversation was very progressive – a preparedness to tackle the biggest challenges of our time together to help build a more resilient, sustainable industry in tune with our planet and with consumers. From here I think that it’s important to build on this momentum and I’d be very keen to attend next time.

She added that “women-only events can be different to those dominated by men, not necessarily better but uniquely different and that’s a good thing. We should encourage diversity in all forms as it will help the industry to embrace change effectively.”

Lena Johansson, Political Editor-in-Chief at Land Lantbruk in Sweden said: “It was really rewarding to meet so many skilled and prominent women from the agricultural and food industries. It gave me lots of new energy and inspiration. The atmosphere at the summit felt so warm and inviting. I hope that there will be another WFA next year which will gather women from even more countries. Women in the agriculture and food industry need meetings like this to be able to lift and support each other. If the agrifood businesses are to cope with future challenges, it is necessary that both women’s and men’s skills be utilised.”

Sarah Bell, a supply chain consultant and speaker at the summit described the event as a showcase of some of the brightest leaders in agriculture, she said: “All of the speakers I listened to bought interesting information and perspectives to their subject. Many led me to question my own unconscious bias and think about how I can do things better in both farming and my work with the wider supply chain. The collaborative and educational elements of the conference make it a valuable event to anyone who wants to see a diverse industry where merit and talent are the key components of leadership.”

Finally, Patricia Marks, CEO of the Newbury & District Agricultural Society said: “It was a wonderful event for discussion, debate, knowledge transfer, learning, listening and networking. An annual event is a must to continue the work from this first event.”

She added a comment about the Twitter discussions sparked by the summit: “This was an event looking and discovering the female perspective to the challenges facing our industry, in a supportive and understanding environment. The event is, and will always be, open to all but the focus is on the female perspective, similar to youth events for the perspective of the young, similar to sector specific events for the perspective of a particular industry.”

The event was a resounding success and the team are busy planning the 2020 Summit for the same time of year and location to be announced.