“Inspire Inclusion”: That’s the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, a particularly current and meaningful topic given the current sociopolitical and environmental crises through which we are living.

“Food concerns us all. Yet the role of those who bring food to our tables, and especially the role of women within food systems, is often overlooked and underestimated,” points out Marta Messa, the Slow Food Secretary General. “Across the world, women play a key role in food systems, often doing the heavy lifting, yet with limited decision-making power or land ownership rights.” Inclusion, on the other hand, means creating a society where everyone has the opportunity to fully participate and benefit, regardless of background or identity. “Women can accelerate the transition to sustainable food systems, all the more so within agroecological food systems that are rooted in gender equity, among other principles. The principles of agroecology provide a framework where diversity, equality and justice are tiles within a broader mosaic of sustainable food systems.”

The Slow Food movement amplifies the voices from many communities around the world seeking to elevate the role of women in society, fight against prejudice and violence and advance projects that can help make women free and independent.