Yesterday, March 08, International Women's Day was commemorated, a date established by the United Nations (UN) in 1975. Historians agree on highlighting as a direct prelude to this Day, the times of the mid-nineteenth century, in full industrial Revolution. On March 8, 1857, thousands of textile workers decided to take to the streets of New York with the motto "Bread and Roses'" to protest improvements in working conditions and demand a cut in working hours and the end of child labor. Then there were several demonstrations such as the "strike of the shirts" in 1909. But a chapter that would mark this international commemoration occurred on March 25, 1911, when in a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist shirt factory in New York, 123 women died (and 23 men), while they were doing a strike inside this unit.

From those times to today, there have been many advances that women have had in the different spheres of world and national work, the right to enter to study, the right to vote and the power to be elected to high-power positions are some . The agricultural sector, and the fruit sector in particular, where a significant number of women work, has not been oblivious to the advancement of women. Today, we see them as managers, participating in directories or trade associations, as scientists, researchers, that is why to learn their impressions, SimFRUIT spoke with a group of them, who agreed to relieve the great contribution of women within the sector , as well as those characteristics of the industry that motivate them daily to work in it.

“One of my motivations for working in the fruit sector is to make it possible for the country to be recognized abroad as a world-class supplier. Fruit is what most associates Chile as a country of origin. It also motivates me to face the challenges that come each season for a certain fruit. I have been working at Dole Chile since 1987, and I am happy to be part of the team that has allowed the company to be the leader of the country, committed to providing consumers with products of the highest quality ", said Alejandra Cifuentes, Technical & Development Manager Stone Fruit, Citrus & Kiwis of Dole, and who also serves on the board of the Kiwi Committee.

Coincident with this, Orieta Ramírez, commercial manager of Frusan, and representative of this company in the ASOEX board, said that it is the daily challenges that this industry imposes that motivate it to be in it: “The challenges that the fruit industry It presents on a daily basis, how different a season is compared to another. Satisfying internal and external clients inside and outside Chile. He has been in the Fruit Industry of Chile for more than 20 years. ”

For his part, Jimena López, Agricultural Engineer and Head of the Fruit Department of ASOEX added: “I arrived at ASOEX very young, almost 38 years ago. What I love about the sector is that I have been able to develop and lead projects such as the current Pesticide Agenda, collaborating with it to make this industry an increasingly better industry, especially in the technical work of exporting companies. ”

Daughter of Spanish migrant producers, Lina Arrieta, President of the Association of Agricultural Producers and Exporters of the Copiado Valley (APECO). “I learned to know the work in agriculture very young. And I fell in love with the countryside, its people and the effort that this sector means every day. ”

Contributions of women in the sector

Although, they recognize that agriculture is still a sector mostly of men, they indicate that over the years there has been a greater incorporation of women, especially in areas of decision-making, with which the contributions of women have been, mainly, incorporating a new look, bringing more comprehensive and inclusive decisions.

“It is still a sector of men, proof is that in many meetings I am the only woman present, but what I see is that in the new generations there are more and more women in important positions in the industry. I think there is room for women within the jobs of greater hierarchy or power, proof of that is me. Having women in key positions in the industry is to seek excellence, and it will never be reached without diversity, and I say diversity in the broadest sense. Each one has a different angle in a discussion and decisions can be made with expanded information, ”said Orieta Ramírez.

In the same area, Alejandra Cifuentes said: “When I started working, there were very few women working in the exporting fruit sector. Today there are many women occupying different positions in the industry. I think there is room for women in senior management positions and it will depend, to a large extent, on the way gender relations and negotiations are established in the workplace. The contribution of integrating women into an organization is to incorporate the qualities that women have in work performance, including greater acuity, discipline, receptivity, empathy, ability to think and do several things at once. ”

On the other hand, Lina Arrieta stressed “women contribute in the finest, in delicacy, for example when selecting or packing the fruit, but also the work of women, especially in my region, can be the livelihood of all a family. Many of them have told me with my work I have been able to educate my children, buy my house, therefore, this incorporation also has to do with women valuing their own efforts, their own work. Personally, as a leader I can say that doing this job has allowed me to learn from what I am capable of, and what we can achieve by working more together, I believe that women contribute to finding ways to work more together and towards a common good. I also think it is important to highlight the participation of women in the Farming Family Farming, in the rural localities, where she contributes a lot to the work and the commercialization of the products ”.

“More and more women are entering the sector in spaces of greater responsibility, which is very positive, since women bring new perspectives or ways to face the challenges, which gives a more comprehensive focus as an industry . Incorporating women into positions of power or decision-making is contributing other elements that enrich the social fabric, which at the moment of making decisions makes them more solid and comprehensive, ”said Jimena López.

It should be noted that in recognition of the work done by women in the various fields of fruit production, ASOEX, awards the “Guacolda Award” every year. These are women who are nominated by the institutions of the sector in which they work, in areas such as: field worker or packing center, trade associations, universities or research centers, public services, service provider companies or supplies, among others .

Guacolda Award 2019