Emprende Pro Mujer, the digital educational platform that brings a gender and social justice perspective to promote women’s entrepreneurship, recently launched a new training module adapted to the realities of rural and Indigenous women in southern Mexico. The innovative Agri Module combines practical knowledge, accessible digital tools, and a gender and environmental approach to support women agricultural producers to cultivate and care for the land and sustain their communities.
These women produce coffee, cacao, corn, beans, vegetables, and flowers – and are caretakers of their land, leaders in their cooperatives, and breadwinners for their families. However, they also face multiple challenges, including limited access to basic services and education, poor connectivity, time limitations due to household and care work, and structural gaps that limit their active participation in agribusiness.
Designed for Women Entrepreneurs
The initiative recognizes that many women farmers do not see themselves as entrepreneurs, despite the fact that they have sustained agriculture and craft in their communities for generations. One of the first objectives of the program is to encourage women to recognize themselves as the heart of their businesses, and not just as support for their partners or cooperatives.
The module features content organized across four areas:
- I Know My Business: Define my market, brand differentiator, products, services and basic structure
- I Know My Finances: Separate and organize my personal, family, and business finances
- I Am Resilient to Climate Change: Develop adaptation strategies alongside my community
- Thriving Leadership: Trust, community leadership, generational turnover, and decision-making
The suggested duration of the module is 10 total hours, distributed into 20 minutes per day over the course of 5 weeks. This helps facilitate women’s participation despite their limited availability and other responsibilities.
The program also incorporates educational resources designed for rural contexts, including workbooks, infographics, audio recordings, advice, self-care tools, animated and instructional videos, and a guiding character: Ana María, a woman who reflects their experiences and challenges.Over more than 30 years of experience, Pro Mujer has seen that when a woman recognizes her value, is able to access the right tools, and attains autonomy, she generates a positive impact that goes beyond her business: she changes the lives of her family, her community, and her territory.
