Women-led sustainable innovation in small island agriculture: challenges and barriers

In small island agriculture, sustainable innovation is vital for strengthening resilience in the face of resource constraints and climate impacts. Despite women’s undeniable contribution to social, economic, and environmental sustainability in these societies, their leadership and decision-making capacity in developing sustainable innovative solutions for agricultural opportunities and challenges continue to face systemic barriers. Identifying and mitigating these barriers has a positive impact on the development, resilience, and well-being of small island societies. Using a mixed-methods approach, this conceptual expansion research identifies eleven key characteristics of small islands’ agriculture, introduces eighteen orientations for sustainable innovation within this context, and investigates women’s roles in sustainable innovation. It also identifies barriers and challenges that hinder women from attaining leadership roles in developing sustainable innovation in small island agriculture and proposes nine possible mitigation strategies and measures.