Gender Equality in Rural and Agricultural Innovation Systems MOOC (online course)
Zaragoza, Spain
Certificate
DURATION
8 hours
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
* Free course
Key Summary
About: The GRASS CEILING MOOC is a free online course empowering rural women to lead agricultural innovation. It mixes theory, case studies, quizzes and resources across five modules on women's roles, gender norms, support mechanisms, food-system innovations, and policy tools. The course draws on Horizon Europe, uses accessible, user-centered design, and awards a certificate of completion.
Career Outcomes: Learners gain skills for potential roles in rural development, gender-responsive policy, agricultural extension, cooperative leadership, social entrepreneurship, research and advocacy. It prepares participants as community facilitator, project officer, policy advisor or extension agent, strengthening competencies in gender mainstreaming, innovation support and capacity-building.
What is the Grass Ceiling MOOC?
The Grass Ceiling MOOC is a free online course designed to empower rural women and strengthen their role in agricultural innovation and rural development across Europe.
This course combines theory, practical examples, and case studies to help learners understand, support, and promote women-led socio-ecological innovations.
The MOOC is structured into five modules addressing: the roles of women in rural communities; (2) gender norms and the drivers of women-led socio-ecological innovation; (3) support mechanisms for women’s entrepreneurship and leadership; (4) women-led innovations in food systems; and (5) policy recommendations and tools for inclusive innovation systems.
Each module includes:
- Learning objectives to guide the study process.
- Lectures with theoretical insights.
- Case studies and practical examples.
- Self-assessment quizzes.
- “Lear more” sections with complementary resources.
This course is open to all: rural farmers, policymakers, researchers, cooperative members, or any person interested in gender equality in agriculture. With this online tool, GRASS CEILING offers valuable knowledge, practical tools, and inspiring examples to support women-led innovations.
Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive a certificate of completion, attesting to their participation and acquired learning outcomes.
What makes this MOOC valuable
The GRASS CEILING MOOC constitutes a significant added-value resource within the project’s capacity-building and knowledge dissemination strategy. Its design, structure, and accessibility features collectively ensure that the course serves as a high-quality, inclusive, and widely applicable learning tool for advancing gender-responsive innovation in rural and agricultural contexts.
High-quality and comprehensive content:
The MOOC is organised into five thematically coherent modules, each addressing a distinct yet interconnected aspect of women-led socio-ecological innovation. The content encompasses conceptual foundations, analytical perspectives, practical tools, and illustrative case studies, thereby offering a robust and evidence-informed learning pathway. This comprehensive scope enables learners to acquire both theoretical understanding and practical insights that are relevant to diverse professional and territorial contexts.
Relevance to a wide and heterogeneous audience:
The course has been intentionally developed to meet the needs of a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including educators and researchers, rural actors, decision-makers, support organisations, and individuals with an interest in gender equality in the agricultural sector. Its interdisciplinary orientation and the inclusion of real-world examples enhance its applicability for practitioners seeking operational guidance, as well as for institutional actors engaged in policy development, advisory services, and territorial innovation support systems.
Strong commitment to accessibility and user-centred design:
A defining characteristic of the MOOC is its full accessibility. The course is delivered entirely online, is offered free of charge, and is open to all users without prior prerequisites, thereby lowering entry barriers and facilitating wide uptake. Its pedagogical approach combines written content, video materials, practical examples, and self-assessment exercises, accommodating different learning preferences. Furthermore, its modular and self-paced format provides users with flexibility to engage with the material according to their time constraints and professional obligations—an essential consideration for rural populations and individuals with limited availability.
Rooted in project results and collective knowledge
Another key element of the GRASS CEILING MOOC is its strong grounding in the project’s knowledge base. All materials draw directly from project outputs, including research, Living Lab activities, and empirical findings, with no new content produced specifically for the MOOC. From the start, the course was conceived as a dissemination tool, translating project results into an accessible, structured learning format for diverse audiences. The development process was designed as a collaborative exercise for the consortium. Through meetings, consultations, and iterative exchanges, partners revisited project deliverables from a pedagogical perspective, transforming existing outputs into coherent learning resources while enhancing the dissemination of key findings, data, and reflections.
In summary, the GRASS CEILING MOOC delivers substantial value by providing rigorous, accessible, and contextually relevant knowledge. It constitutes a key instrument for strengthening gender-inclusive innovation ecosystems and for enhancing the visibility, skills, and agency of rural women across Europe.
Thematic areas covered by the training modules
Module 1: Women’s Role in Agriculture, Rural Economies, and Communities
Led by Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (LCSS), University of Zagreb and University of Pisa, this first module introduces the current and emerging roles of women in rural areas and examines the frameworks that shape and support their contributions to agricultural and rural development.
Core lectures of the module:
Introduction
1.1. Rural Women in the EU: Stylised Facts — Prof. Tomas Baležentis.
1.2. The Professional Status of Rural Women in the EU — Prof. Tihana Kovačićek.
1.3. Current Megatrends and Plausible Futures for Women’s Role in Agriculture, Rural Economy and Communities — Dr Sabrina Arcuri.
Case Study - Breaking the Grass Ceiling: A Practical Insight into Rural Women Entrepreneurs in Europe.
Quiz Module 1.
Module 2: Understanding Gender Norms and Drivers of Women-led Innovation
Led by Wageningen University, this module explores the motivations, constraints, and enabling factors that influence women’s capacity to lead socio-ecological innovations that strengthen rural communities.
Core lectures of the module:
Introduction.
2.1. Socio-economic characteristics of rural areas: A focus on women— Prof. Bettina Bock.
2.2. Women's Innovative Ideas and Ambitions — Dr Valentina C. Materia.
2.3. Facilitators and Constraints to Women-Led Innovations in Rural Areas — Dr Valentina C. Materia.
2.3.1. Gender Norms & Division of Work — Dr Valentina C. Materia.
2.3.2. Property Ownership & Inheritance — Dr Valentina C. Materia.
2.3.3. Lack of State & Institutional Support — Dr Valentina C. Materia.
Case Study - Understanding gender norms, drivers and barriers.
Quiz Module 2.
Module 3: Supporting Women-led Innovation to Sustain Rural Areas
Led by Women Entrepreneurship Platform, University of Valladolid – Palencia and Cooperativas Agro-Alimentarias de España. Module 3 focuses on mechanisms to enhance women’s entrepreneurship and leadership, including the role of cooperatives and other organisations that support innovation in rural contexts.
Core lectures of the module:
Introduction.
3.1. Policy Considerations in Support of Rural Women — Dr Charlene Lambert.
3.2. Rural Women as Entrepreneurs — Dr Emma Siliprandi.
3.3. Women and Innovation — Dr Emma Siliprandi.
Case Study - Understanding what cooperatives can offer to support innovative women in agriculture.
Quiz Module 3.
Module 4: Innovating for Women in Food Systems
Led by Newcastle University and South East Technological University, this lesson analyses women-led innovations in agriculture, social initiatives, and rural economies, highlighting their contributions to resilience and sustainable territorial development.
Core lectures of the module:
Introduction.
4.1. Living Lab Methodology – Professor Felicity Kelliher, SETU.
4.2. The role of Living Labs in supporting innovation – Melanie Thompson-Glen, NICRE.
4.3. Lessons learned about supporting women innovators – Dr Leana Reinl, SETU.
Case Study 1 – How Living Labs Can Empower Women as Entrepreneurs in Agriculture and Rural Areas.
Case Study 2 – The Biodistretto delle Lame, Italy.
Quiz Module 4.
Module 5: Recommendations and Tools or Inclusive Innovation Systems
Led by European Association for Innovation in Local Development (AEIDL), the final module provides practical guidance, policy recommendations, and tools to strengthen innovation systems that recognise, integrate, and elevate women’s roles in shaping sustainable rural futures.
Core lectures of the module:
Introduction.
5.1. Policy recommendations on inclusive transition policies for farming and rural areas — Dr Blanca Casares.
5.2. Policy toolkit to develop and monitor inclusive agricultural and rural development policies — Dr Blanca Casares.
Case Study 1 – Gender Benchmarking European and National Agricultural and Rural Policies.
Case Study 2 – The European Policy Forum for Women-led Innovation in agriculture and Rural Areas.
Quiz Module 5.
The objective of this online course is to equip participants with the knowledge and tools to advance gender equality and women’s leadership in agriculture and rural development.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Understand the roles and contributions of rural women in agriculture, rural economies, and community development.
- Recognize gender norms, barriers, and enabling factors that shape women’s leadership in socio-ecological innovation.
- Identify and evaluate support mechanisms, strategies, and organizational models that foster women-led innovation in rural areas.
- Apply practical tools and policy recommendations to strengthen inclusive and gender-responsive innovation systems.
- Analyse and appreciate real examples of women-led innovations in food systems and rural development to inspire action and replication.