Gender turnover, sustainability, and innovation: How women are changing farming

Traditionally, agriculture has been a male-dominated sector. Although women's work in agricultural production has always been fundamental, their role has often been underestimated and undervalued. Several constraints limit women's empowerment in this sector, such as socio-cultural norms on gender roles, lack of information, limitations in decisionmaking power, and lack of access to credit. Nevertheless, female entrepreneurship in agriculture, especially in niche markets, is on the rise, often supported by digital technologies. Women farmers are sensitive to biodiversity, environmental preservation, animal welfare, social activities, and digital innovation. Since multifunctionality and innovation are considered worldwide drivers to promote and foster agricultural entrepreneurship while assuring sustainable development goals, women can make a difference in driving the transition towards more sustainable agriculture and leading this sector’s change. In this article, we investigate the role of women in modern agriculture and their relationship with digital technologies through a case study on an Italian female entrepreneur who has chosen to make sustainable agriculture her life choice, becoming a guide for thousands of Italian female farmers. It is a story of traditions, prejudices, obstacles, stubbornness, self-assertion, legitimacy, and sharing, which are the critical values of women's empowerment in modern agricultural farming.