In Brazil, the living conditions of rural women in São Paulo State are similar to those in other Latin American regions and countries. They are characterised by long working days that are not fully acknowledged, less access to productive resources (land, water, inputs) and these women are confronted with a series of obstacles concerning their economic empowerment and political participation.

For several years now, the NGO Sempreviva Organização Feminista (SOF) has been supporting several groups of women farmers to produce and sell fruit and vegetables, and to gain recognition of their rights. This experience led to SOF being selected by the Brazilian government to roll out a federal policy for the provision of technical assistance to women in agroecology (ATER) from late 2023 to 2025 in São Paulo State. The methodology proposed by the government is based on individual visits to each woman farmer, on each farm.

The approach SOF takes to overcome gender inequalities is based on women’s self-organisation in their communities and federation of these groups in the feminist movement. By becoming collectively organised, they can share their lived experiences, overcome stereotypes, respond to gender-based violence and generate transformative change.

With this project, GRET and SOF intend to promote a policy for non-violent feminist agricultural technical assistance in Vale do Ribeira (São Paulo State), that will be presented at a national ATER conference in 2025, with a view to replication at national level.