On 9th October, in Ruvo di Puglia (BA), during the second Italian Living Lab meeting of the GRASS CEILING project, we asked some women engaged in entrepreneurial activities in the agricultural sector, what “innovation” is for them.
“It’s a different crop. It’s the answer to a specific need. It’s knowledge, study and know-how. It means creating an ecosystem.” But also, “innovation is dynamism, explosion and rupture. It’s knowing the tradition in order to be able to transform it.”
These are the answers provided by the network of women innovators, sharing their individual experiences, and personal ideas about the concept of “innovation”. After a brief focus on the meaning of innovation processes, the network opened up to dialogue with some qualified local stakeholders actively involved in innovation and technology. Representatives of Tecnopolis, ARTI Puglia, Abap, EIT food, PID Chamber of Commerce, Italian RSA and Biodistretto delle Lame took part in the event.
After a brief introduction of stakeholders and participants, the “Empathy Map” marketing tool was presented, in order to think about and discuss customers’ and users’ needs. The Italian Living Lab is run by partners CIHEAM BARI and Legacoop Puglia, in collaboration with the Biodistretto delle Lame. It is an opportunity to create connections between actors and women engaged in agriculture, to generate an agribusiness system that supports the role of women innovators in this historically male-dominated sector.
