Studying obstacles and enablers for women-led socio-ecological innovations in European rural areas: insights from a future foresight study

This methodological contribution presents an exploratory foresight study run as part of the GRASS CEILING project to identify obstacles and enablers to women-led socio-ecological innovations in European rural areas. Despite rural women are considered as relevant agents of change for rural development and the ecological transition in EU strategies, policies have not yet satisfactorily addressed the double discrimination they suffer (i.e., the gender gap and the rural-urban divide). Moreover, academic literature about rural women as socio-ecological innovators remains scarce and fragmented, and future studies on rural areas and agriculture are rarely focused on gender issues. This study – to our knowledge, the first foresight focused on rural women – comprised three phases, designed ad hoc to adapt to the needs of the women innovators in GRASS CEILING’s living labs (LLs). Firstly, we identified megatrends and drivers of change. Secondly, LLs engaged women innovators in workshops meant to identify present struggles, envision future challenges, and define personas (fictitious characters representative of the women innovators). Thirdly, two online foresight workshops saw participants embodying the personas to explore four plausible future scenarios. As one major value of future studies is to facilitate thinking ahead, charting uncertainties and potential areas of concern, the set of enablers and barriers identified can inform policy recommendations by highlighting: (i) relevant elements to better understand and recognise the contribution of women innovators in future rural areas, (ii) different policy domains which cannot be considered in isolation, and (iii) the need to test strategies against future drivers and context-specific concerns.