The RAJA-Danièle Marcovici Foundation, committed to the empowerment of women worldwide for 15 years, supports the Generation Equality Forum organized by UN Women, and in particular actions related to environmental protection and the fight against climate change.
For more than six years, since 2015 and COP21, the RAJA-Danièle Marcovici Foundation has strengthened the environmental dimension of its mission.
The Foundation is piloting the “Women & Environment” programme, which enables the entire RAJA Group, through a product-sharing operation, to engage by supporting civil society organisations promoting the role of women in environmental protection.
In addition, the Foundation produces research on the subject and highlighted the fact that:
On June 30 2021, as part of the Generation Equality Forum, the RAJA-Danièle Marcovici Foundation organised a round table on women and their role in agricultural and food transition. This roundtable brought together experts who clarified the links between the status of women and gender inequalities in the agricultural and food transition.
Danièle Kapel-Marcovici, President and Founder of the RAJA-Danièle Marcovici Foundation, stressed the importance of this topic: “Climate change is producing visible effects and affecting the most vulnerable, and therefore women. It is also critical to take actions to:
– Promote the productive potential of women farmers,
– Increase their incomes and support women’s agricultural entrepreneurship,
– Strengthen the leadership of women at all levels,
– And support advocacy towards women’s economic empowerment.”
It emphasized the need to support sustainable development, promote the transformation of production and consumption conditions and the change of agricultural and food models, and strengthen the involvement of women in social and economic life. “The system that has been celebrated for decades has been called into question and the role of women in these transitional dynamics is crucial,” says Henri Rouillé d’Orfeuil, agronomist and Doctor in applied economics.
In many countries, women, as providers of knowledge and initiatives, promote more sustainable agricultural and food production and marketing practices. They are particularly involved in agroecology projects, as well as in the preservation and selection of seeds.
Stéphanie Pageot, Secretary General of the Fédération Nationale d’Agriculture Biologique (FNAB) indicated that in France, women were increasingly present in organic agriculture: they were 8% in 1970 and are 27% in 2013. The survey published by the FNAB in February 2019, produced with the support of the RAJA-Danièle Marcovici Foundation, reveals that half of organic farmers are alone in the initiative of switching their farm into organic agriculture. Building a more environmentally and socially sustainable world requires strengthening and making these initiatives visible.
Vandana Shiva, President and Founder of the Navdanya Association in India, insisted that women are leaders in the agricultural and food transition and that this transition is fundamental to saving seeds. She said, “Because of the impact of globalization that is destroying land and life, it is crucial to foster local economies. We need to value prosperity locally. This is how we will find a solution to pandemics.”
We invite you to see or review this round table by logging in on the platform of the Generation Equality Forum: click here.
