Women, Agroecology and Food Systems transformation

Monicah Yator (Kenya) is an Indigenous Woman from Baringo (Kenya), Tugen Pastoralist Community. She is a human rights defender and an activist as well as the founder of the Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative (IWGI), a community-based organization which advocates for fundamental rights and freedom of indigenous women and girls in Baringo and beyond. Through IWGI Yator has empowered women on land rights issues and trained them on agroecological practices. Monicah represents indigenous peoples’ organizations in the Steering Committee of the Agroecology Coalition.

Madeleine Kaufmann (Switzerland) has been Senior Policy Advisor of the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) since 2018. Among others, she represents Switzerland in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and is the Swiss focal point of the Agroecology Coalition, representing the European regional group in the Coalition’s Steering Committee as well. Madeleine also works part-time on an organic dairy farm. Before joining FOAG, she was with several international cooperation and development organizations, including the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), Bioversity International, and Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation.