ADAMA Brazil’s initiative for gender equality and professional growth
18 April 2024, Brazil: Women have always been at the heart of farming around the world, working on land that is frequently a family business; and, most often, owned and managed by men. The gender gap in agriculture across the world is heavily skewed, with women disproportionally represented when it comes to land ownership and key positions at the top of agricultural companies and food production businesses.
In Brazil, female executives represent only 14% of positions on the board of directors of companies listed on the Brazilian stock exchange. With this in mind, ADAMA Brazil took action, creating the ‘ADAMA Entre Elas – ADAMA Among Women’ event, with the aim of stimulating and strengthening the presence of female executives in agricultural businesses in the region.
Attended by 25 female executives from ADAMA Brazil’s client base, the two-day event provided training and an opportunity to exchange experiences across the themes of self-development, strengthening teams and the sustainability of businesses.
The event provided a practical forum and training covering key areas to help women further their presence in business. Delegates focused on areas like employer branding, strengthening personal image and career promotion.
Learning from a specialist consultant, participants prepared action plans to transform concepts into practice; and via a panel, they discussed the vision of leadership across different agricultural business models – a reseller, direct sales, a cooperative, rural producer, and a multinational company. At the ‘World Café’ forum delegates created strategies to engage and motivate their employees in order to obtain the best results for their individual companies. ADAMA Brazil directors Josi Martins, People and Culture; and, Ana Colla Director of Operations, discussed their careers in agribusiness; and, the event culminated, on the second day, with a factory tour and a visit to the ADAMA Brazil institute.
Speaking about the significance of the event for women in agribusiness, Josi Martins, People & Culture, ADAMA Brazil, said: “To fulfil our brand promise we delivered an experience that empowered and prepared the women to have even more sustainable businesses contributing to ADAMA’s continued growth.
Strengthening people is a value that transcends the walls of ADAMA. We really live this value. That’s what we heard from our customers.”
Reflecting on what they gained from attending, participants unanimously gave the event 100% positive feedback. Roberta Barrios from Agricola Kanadá said: “I was surprised by the level of speakers and collaborators at ADAMA. We live in the countryside, and we often don’t have time to connect with people with such professionalism and knowledge, so when we have this time, let it be to participate in the best that is on the market.”
The ‘ADAMA Entre Elas – ADAMA Among Women’ event has gained both regional and international acclaim; receiving an award locally from the city of Londrina’s city councilor, and international recognition as winner of the ‘Impacting our people and communities’ category in the ADAMA Spotlight Awards.
As agriculture evolves into a business increasingly reliant on science, technology and the sustainability challenges of climate change, the labour requirement in farming is shifting and more opportunities are opening where women are taking a foothold in senior positions. This, together with a corporate appetite for diversity in decision-making and equal opportunities, is setting the stage for women to increase their presence in agricultural management.
Looking to the future, Josi Martins commented. “We will continue to develop the women’s strength through our mentorship program for women in the field.”
One of the key pillars of this year’s International Women’s Day was ‘Inspire Inclusion’, and the momentum continues to promote diversity in decision-making positions, encouraging action that breaks down barriers, so that a greater percentage of women are represented in key leadership roles. We celebrate all the women at the heart of global food production, and showcase those who are working towards achieving greater diversity, equity and inclusion for women in agricultural all over the world.
