Future Food System Summit Summary – Gender Perspective

FUTURE FOOD SYSTEM SUMMIT – GENDER PERSPECTIVE

Oaxaca

November 10 & 11 2023

Unidad de Extensión Universitaria UNAM, Oaxaca

In our recent Future Food Systems Summits we held workshops that focused on a gender perspective. These workshops brought together diverse local actors within the Mexican agri-food system, including women’s collectives and organizations prioritizing gender equality and sustainability.

This provided a unique platform for networking, identifying common goals, and developing actionable plans for a brighter future.

What happened in our Future Food Systems Summit

Day 1

Networking and guided visit to Villa Agroecologica Tierra del Sol with participants from the general visioning and gender perspective workshops

We engaged in making sauerkraut and received a talk on syntropic agriculture. They explored the village, noting its innovative ecological construction techniques, dry toilets, rainwater harvesting and purification systems, composting practices, and diverse crop gardens. The experience provided valuable insights into sustainable living and farming methods.

What happened in our Future Food Systems Summit

Day 2

Gender Perspective – Building a common vision for Oaxaca’s future food system at an individual and group level

On Day 2, a diverse group of local actors from the Mexican agri-food system—including women’s collectives and organizations focused on gender equality and sustainability—gathered to focus on issues related to gender and food systems. To reach a shared vision, we began with individual perspectives of a desirable food system. Participants then collaborated in three diverse groups to create group visions. Together, we identified key values from these visions, which ultimately guided us in forming a collective shared vision.

Common Values – Gender Perspective:

Care for the network of life and self-care is important to me because if we are not well, then we cannot organize ourselves or think of politics, or think of the ecosystem and implement practices.

Participants came together and identified common values across the three group visions

Public policies
Care for the web of life
Community organization
Mutual support
Collectivity and cooperation
“Trueque”
Women’s participation in decision making
Valorization and recognition
Redistribution of care
Knowing/honoring ancestral knowledge and practices
Loving learning
Self-care
Healthy eating
Agro-ecological practices
Regenerating ecosystems

…Women look for spaces to be able to share and then they start to realize that it’s not just a personal feeling/experience, it’s a collective one, and together they can achieve many things….To get to the future, we need to push for a series of public policies that uplift women and realize actions. So we need to take care of ourselves but the state also needs to have this responsibility.

Final Vision – Gender Perspective:

Based on common values, participants created a shared vision of a desirable food system in 2050

There is a clear and real vision of taking care of the network of sight, with the active participation of women in decision making, in addition we have all learned to take care of ourselves, and we feed ourselves in a healthy and loving way, mutual support and community organization is perceived. Ecosystems are regenerated with agroecological practices and techniques, recognizing and honoring them. Food comes from diverse regenerative systems with high nutritional value. There are public policies based on the interests, aspirations and needs of the different sectors of society, created in assemblies and councils that respect territorial diversity. Ancestral knowledge and practices are integrated into the educational system and are lived on a daily basis. The relationships organized in networks are based on values of respect and principles of cooperation and collectivity. The culture of barter and tequio is rescued.

Art representation of the vision

The final art vision for Oaxaca is still in the making. For now, the art for the general workshop is being used.

Special thanks to those who made this workshop possible:

Facilitator:

Sergio Beltrán

Researchers:

Dr. Verena Seufert

Dr. Anne Elise Stratton

Marisol Galicia, M.Sc

Kelzy Jepsen, M.Sc

Dr. Quetzalcoatl Orozco

Kaya Lange, M.Sc

Venue:

Unidad de Extensión

Universitaria-UNAM

Villa Agroecologica

Tierra del Sol

Catering:

Caldo Negro

Artist:

María del Rosario

Jiménez Cabrera

Workshop Design:

Altekio (Conchi Pineiro

and Cintia Lara)

Check out the Summit Summary

Click on the link to read the group vision summaries and common values.

Check out poster here!

The journey continues

Stay Connected with Bright Spots Project

As we move forward with the Bright Spots project, our next step is to identify indicators that will help us track our progress toward our shared vision for a better food system. By mapping these indicators, we aim to uncover “bright spots”—positive examples of sustainable agriculture and food systems in Mexico and India. These bright spots are not just solutions; they can be sources of inspiration and practical knowledge that can help us improve our food systems.

We invite you to stay connected with the Bright Spots project as we collectively seek solutions to food system sustainability challenges. By working together, we can gain a deeper understanding, learn from these positive examples, and work to share this valuable knowledge in ways that are meaningful to you.

Your ongoing engagement is vital as we build on the momentum generated during the Summits. Thank you for being an essential part of our journey toward a resilient and sustainable food future!

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