A Gender Perspective on Agricultural Innovators

Abstract

Innovation is a key factor for the survival of agricultural production in an ever-changing environment. This paper explores the link between innovation and gender in rural areas. Using a feminist approach, this paper analyses key factors (individual, interactional, organisational and contextual) in the innovation process in rural areas from a gender perspective. A longitudinal study was carried out using methodological triangulation. The results show that the most influential factors are not individual (innovation capacity, sociodemographic characteristics and professional profile) but those related to the social construction of gender, its dynamics and the patriarchal structures that define the position of women in the rural environment. The article contributes to theory through the explanations and causal patterns that emerge from the findings of the empirical study in the rural environment. These findings highlight the need for the critical examination of gender as a social structure. The conclusions are also of interest to shape public actions designed to encourage a gender perspective in innovation in this area.