How can EDI address (some) challenges in agriculture?

Guest Post by Antoine Meyer

Globally, women make up a significant portion of the agricultural workforce, averaging 43%. In Germany, women constitute about a third of this workforce, yet only one in nine farms is run by a woman. Similarly, in France, although many women work in agriculture, they are often perceived more as spouses than as entrepreneurs. According to Agnès Pannier-Runacher, French Minister attached to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, this perception must change: "Of the 523,000 farm managers in France, 26% are women, compared to just 8% in 1970. Real progress has been made’ but, ‘if we want to keep up with the number of people retiring, we're not going to be able to rely on just half the population: everyone has to be able to come on board." (World Women’s Day – March 8th, 2024).?

Beyond these statistics, I’d like to share some of my personal, humble, biased and partial observations about the role of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in agriculture, illustrated through examples.? ?

1. When Gender Bias Hinders Agriculture in Western Europe (And How Diversity Can Help)? In France, it has been a long-standing tradition for the eldest son to inherit the family farm. While this practice prevents land fragmentation, it also excludes women and younger siblings from succession. In some other Central European countries, land is divided among heirs, often resulting in narrow, fragmented plots—a practice still highly visible from aerial views – and truly inefficient from a labour force scarcity /mechanisation point of view.?

For daughters, marriage traditionally meant moving to their husband’s farm. Sons, on the other hand, often felt a strong obligation to take over the family business, even when it was not the best decision for them or the farm itself. This sense of duty sometimes led to poor outcomes. An agricultural banker once told me: "If a daughter takes over a farm, it’s almost always a sound decision with good prospects. With sons, you can’t be sure anymore."?

What can we learn from this? Sons and daughters may have different approaches to decision-making. Embracing these diverse perspectives could strengthen agriculture as farmers are, after all, entrepreneurs. Checking that you support both genders equally ensures better outcomes for the industry and society.? ?

2. When Gender Bias Interferes with Agriculture in Africa (And How Inclusion Makes a Difference)? While working on a global agricultural project in Africa, I observe a powerful example of gender’s impact on agricultural success. Northern hemisphere state development agencies collaborated with global NGOs and wealthy individuals' private foundations to design a game-changing training program to enhance agricultural wealth: Technical experts in seeds, irrigation, and mechanisation doubled crop yields, boosting both farmer incomes and community resilience to climate change.?

However, early programs focused on training men (only) —often the village leaders. While the project team remained?present the results looked promising: yield increased, and knowledge transfer and acquisition appeared to take place. All good so far!? But the next step of the story was?sour: implementation and impact quickly regressed once the trainers left. The exception? Villages where women received the training. These women thought?their daughters and neighbours, sustaining the improvements over time. Women’s collective stewardship not only maintains the benefits but also fosters trading opportunities that improves the local economy.?

This experience teaches us that our EDI activity must go beyond formal, visible and historical leadership structures to include often-overlooked stakeholders. In our case, recognising the critical role of women leads to initiatives like women's farming cooperatives in Africa and India. These empower women to manage resources collectively, increasing their incomes and decision-making power.? ?

3. Post-COVID Intergenerational Management in Agriculture: What bring us EDI?? Generational differences also pose challenges in agriculture. On one side, a survey by Uswitch revealed that ??a quarter (23%) of 18 to 34-year-olds say they NEVER pick-up calls[1], with over half (56%) assuming an ‘out of the blue’ call means bad news??; on the other side, the viral video “A Magazine Is an iPad That Does Not Work” highlighted the younger generation's intertwined relationship with technology.?

When three (to four) generations (X + Y + Z + α..) work together in the same organisation, how can companies foster collaboration???

Once again, this is about “walking, more than talking”: Recognising and promoting EDI activities can bridge these divides and foster dual ways inclusion of the oldest and youngest generations. For example, a leading French agri-industrial group created a "Youth Executive Team" (for employees under 35) and a special competition in which the prize is to be allowed to spend 10 days with the CEO of the Group. I would have loved to win such a prize 30 years ago!? Similarly, mentorship programs pairing pre-retiring employees with new hires have proven effective in transferring knowledge and fostering cultural soft evolution.?

?Agriculture is rapidly changing itself under technological, demographical and societal evolution.? In such a rapidly changing environment, I am a strong believer that EDI is a key resource for being more creative, more adaptive and becoming?a better leader for managing?the current “emotional VUCA” (Vulnerable, Unknown, Conflicts, Anxiety) that exists across generations, industries, and enterprises!?

This blog was first published on the Voice At The Table website ?

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