Feminist Edge Special Event August 4 2026 – Brining a Feminist Edge to Gender and Agriculture

Since 2017, KIT Institute and the UN Women Training Centre have run Feminist Edge, a professional development programme for gender trainers. Feminist Edge re-captures and re-imagines gender training as a feminist project, establishing a new approach to training for gender equality. On Tuesday 4 August 2026, Feminist Edge hosted a Special Event: Bringing a Feminist Edge to Gender and Agriculture. This special event explored how feminist and gender transformative approaches (GTAs) are shaping development work with rural women across research, activism, and institutional practice. Framed within the context of the International Year of Rural Women, the session invited participants to reflect on how feminist ideas are applied in different agricultural and food system contexts. The panel brought together diverse perspectives. Speakers from grassroots organisations, universities, and international agencies will shared practical examples from their work with smallholder farmers and rural communities. Topics included participatory research methods, women’s collective action, strengthening local organisations, and influencing agricultural policies and institutions. The event aimed to create a practical conversation about what works, what does not, and how GTAs can support more equitable agricultural systems. A central focus of the seminar was the opportunities and challenges that arise as gender transformative approaches are adopted by larger organisations and development programs. How do these approaches change when they move from grassroots activism into policy and institutional practice? What challenges emerge in political and funding environments that may not always support feminist goals? How can researchers, practitioners, and women’s organisations work together to ensure that gender work leads to meaningful improvements in rural women’s lives?