Policy Toolkit

The Policy Toolkit is a practical instrument created within the GRASS CEILING project to support policymakers in designing and monitoring inclusive, gender-responsive agricultural and rural development policies.

Prepared by AEIDL (European Association for Innovation in Local Development) in collaboration with the project coordination team and contributions from other partners, the Toolkit was co-created through the European Policy Forum for Women-Led Innovation. It translates GRASS CEILING’s research findings into actionable policy tools, presented as a Demonstrator Prototype.

It brings together several complementary components: a gender proofing template for agriculture; a benchmarking tool and training module to evaluate gender balance in rural policies; and a data strategy supporting the creation of the Rural Women Innovation Compass as a multidimensional indicator framework integrating gender-sensitive data. The Toolkit also features a Roadmap to advance gender equality in rural areas, a step-by-step checklist for policymakers, and a foresight of women innovators impact in 2040 offering practical guidance to make policies more inclusive and responsive to women’s needs in farming and rural innovation systems.

As a valuable resource for the design of the next programming period and the National Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs), the Toolkit aligns with EU frameworks such as the Rural Observatory and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), helping to build a more inclusive, sustainable, and gender-equal rural future across Europe.