Nazaret Mateos Alvarez from Spain, manager and owner of her own farm and the business EntreSetas, has recently won the Innovation Award for Women Farmers 2020, a price organised by Copa and Cogeca with the support of Corteva Agrisciences.

EntreSetas promotes the circular economy of proximity, starting with the selection of raw materials and ending with the generated waste that is used as organic fertiliser against Nematoda. It is the first ecological company of mushroom growing in the Castilla y Leon region and the first one in Spain with environmental friendly facilities taking a natural farming approach.

The Innovation Award for Women Farmers aims to highlight the contributions that women make towards rural development, forestry, and farming. This year’s edition is entitled “Women Farmers in the driver’s seat of climate innovation” with EU agriculture and forestry playing an important role in enhancing economic, environmental, and social challenges.

The untapped potential of empowering rural women and women farmers can contribute to boost rural entrepreneurship, self-employment, and innovation in the European agriculture. Whilst women farmers represent a 35% of EU’s agricultural workforce, only the 30% assume the position of farm manager or owner, however 80% of women are classified as the ‘holder’s spouse.’ Through this year’s award, it was received 42 applications from the EU member states, demonstrating how women farmers foster the development of new business models and their active role in tackling the biggest challenges in agricultural climate action.

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