This month we present a short note about a prize awarded to women engaged in the oil palm industry in Colombia, which seeks to highlight social aspects of their vocation. Also a note about Fedepalma, the Colombian organization that organizes the award.
As in other agricultural sectors, women’s contributions are not always fairly acknowledged. Here a woman working in a oil palm plantation in Colombia. Photo © by Fedepalma.
The Woman Palm-Farmer
Every year since 2009, the Colombian Oil Palm Farmers National Federation (Fede-palma) has awarded the Woman Palm-Farmer Prize, which recognizes women who are part of the oil palm production chain in Colom-bia. Historically, women have had a disadvantaged position in the agricultural sector, due to their restricted access to fair conditions, or by the invisibility of their contributions. The oil palm sector has been no exception. With this prize, Fedepalma stresses the importance of their work and contributes to gender equality.