Researchers from the Chair of Agroecology and Food Systems have collected the life histories of female farmers, shepherds, cheese makers and wool makers from the Pallaras Sobria region. This was done through the AGATA and ADAPTAL projects, the latter being funded by the Ministry of Economics and Enterprise. On the 26th March 2019 in Sort a conference addressing the role of feminism in a rural environment in the high mountains took place.
The role of women in the rural world and particularly in high mountain areas in the face of current environmental and socioeconomic changes. The researches have developed projects that have allowed the study of traditional ecological knowledge networks and the socio-economic innovations that they have been promoting. This knowledge has made it possible to analyse gender relations and the current role of women in mountain areas and to reflect on the expectations of the guardians of this knowledge about possible changes for the future.
The workshop on Tuesday was divided into two parts: First, a dialogue between researchers and local smallholders from Pallars Sobria to discuss the progress of the project and the results that have been generated so far. The next steps of the project were also discussed, such as mapping different agri-food systems and analysing them with feminist indicators. The second part of the workshop was open to the public and consisted of a round table of local extensive small hold farmers from the Alt Pirineu in collaboration with the School of Shepherds.
In this session, different livestock networks were presented as well as their operations and initiatives. The challenges of high mountain agriculture and livestock keeping were analysed from different personal experiences with the ultimate goal of proposing alternative forms of collective action. To safeguard the traditional culture of the area and the use and implementation of appropriate policies.
