As part of our ongoing SOILL series highlighting women shaping the future of soil health, environmental research, and sustainable agriculture, we are pleased to feature Carmen Asensio Sánchez-Manzanera, Senior Researcher and Living Lab Manager of the IBERSOILL Living Lab within the Horizon Europe LILAS4SOILS project.
With more than 20 years of experience in plant breeding, field crop research, and agricultural innovation, Carmen is Head of the Department of Field Crops at the Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León (ITACyL). Holding a PhD from the Universitat de Lleida, she has led and contributed to numerous national and international research projects, combining scientific excellence with strong public-private collaboration and on-the-ground engagement with farmers and rural communities.
In this conversation, Carmen reflects on the evolving role of women in agriculture and environmental innovation, the importance of collaborative approaches such as Living Labs, and the need to connect research, policy, and farming realities to build more resilient and sustainable rural territories.
As a Living Lab Manager within the LILAS4SOILS project, what first inspired you to connect environmental research with innovation, stakeholder collaboration, and on-the-ground agricultural practices?
ITACyL is a research and experimental institution belonging to the Department of Agriculture of the Regional Government of Castile and León, located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula and one of the largest regions in the EU. In addition to participating in research projects, we regularly collaborate with farmers and the food industry through public-private partnerships, conducting in situ trials in their fields to help solve real-world problems. As a result, we are very closely connected to the everyday reality of farmers.
What is particularly new and inspiring in the LILAS4SOILS project is the multi-stakeholder collaboration approach, which places farmers at the centre of the process. Each link in the chain brings a different perspective, and farmers do not usually have many opportunities to communicate directly with policymakers to express their concerns, nor easy access to the knowledge and information generated through research projects.
With your experience working in applied research and coordinating multi-actor initiatives involving farmers, researchers, and institutions, what has been one distinct challenge and one particularly rewarding moment you’ve experienced as a woman leading initiatives in soil health and agricultural innovation? If you can, please give concrete examples.
The agricultural sector in Castile and León is still predominantly male, and throughout my career I have often felt that, as a woman and a researcher, it was sometimes more difficult for me to connect with the everyday reality of farmers and to gain their trust at the beginning. In some environments, technical and scientific knowledge has traditionally been associated with male profiles, especially in sectors linked to agriculture and livestock farming.
At the same time, one of the most rewarding aspects of my work over the last decade has been witnessing the gradual transformation of the sector and the increasing visibility of women in agricultural leadership roles. I have had the opportunity to meet many female technical advisors working directly in the field who are highly respected by both companies and farmers because of their professionalism, technical competence, and close relationship with rural communities.
It has also been very inspiring to see a new generation of young female farmers gaining visibility through social media, openly sharing their daily work, innovation practices, and entrepreneurial experiences. In many cases, they are helping to modernise the image of agriculture and making the sector more attractive to younger generations. Some of these women have also become representatives of farmers’ organisations and cooperatives, acting as important intermediaries between farmers and policymakers. Seeing women increasingly participate not only in technical work but also in decision-making and representation roles clearly reflects a significant generational and cultural shift within the agricultural sector.
For me, these experiences have shown that agricultural innovation is not only about technology or soil health practices, but also about people, trust, communication, and creating more inclusive rural communities.
You work across different environments, from research and technological development at the Instituto to participatory, field-based innovation within Living Labs involving farmers and local stakeholders. How do you feel the role of women is perceived across these different settings, and what have you learned from bridging them?
Women are very well represented among political, academic, and technical stakeholders, particularly in research institutions, public administration, and innovation networks. In these environments, female leadership is increasingly visible and valued, especially in areas related to sustainability, social innovation, environmental management, and community engagement.
However, I believe there is still important progress to be made in the farming sector itself. While women have become a driving force in rural communities through entrepreneurial initiatives — especially in care services, rural tourism, local food systems, artisan activities, and social innovation — agriculture and livestock farming continue to be perceived largely as male domains.
I have learned that women frequently bring highly valuable perspectives to collaborative innovation processes, as LL co-creation process. In many cases, they tend to promote more inclusive, community-oriented, and long-term approaches. They are often key facilitators of dialogue and cooperation within rural communities.
Bridging these different environments has shown me that innovation is not only about technology, but also about social transformation. Increasing the visibility and participation of women in agriculture is not simply a matter of equality; it is also essential for the future resilience, adaptability, and sustainability of rural territories. In my opinion, the solution to rural depopulation lies in the hands of women.
Having been involved in European research and innovation projects, you are often part of strategic and decision-making processes. From your perspective, how has the perception of women in leadership roles within agricultural, environmental, and innovation sectors evolved in Europe over the past decade?
Over the past decade, I believe Europe has experienced a significant — although still incomplete — shift in the perception of women in leadership roles within the agricultural sector. Ten years ago, women in these fields were often seen as collaborators or technical experts, but not so much as strategic decision-makers. Today, there is much greater recognition that women not only participate in these sectors, but also drive innovation, sustainability, and institutional transformation. Women have gained visibility as rural entrepreneurs, coordinators of cooperative networks, and leaders of European innovation projects.
One of the most important changes has been visibility itself. In the past, women’s work in agriculture and environmental management was often invisible or considered mainly supportive rather than strategic. Another major step forward has been the growing institutional awareness. Gender equality is now more integrated into European policy frameworks and equality strategies. Discussions about leadership increasingly address issues such as access to land, financing, training, professional networks, and decision-making spaces, as excluding women from leadership roles weakens resilience and innovation capacity.
However, progress remains uneven. Although perceptions have improved considerably, structural barriers still persist. What encourages me most is that gender equality is increasingly understood as an element directly linked to competitiveness, sustainability, social resilience, and the quality of decision-making. And that cultural shift is probably the most important transformation of all.
In your role managing Living Lab activities, you engage closely with farmers, policymakers, industry actors, and local communities. How do you find women are perceived as experts and leaders by these diverse groups when working to implement practices such as carbon farming and soil health improvement on the ground?
In my experience managing Living Lab activities, women are generally well perceived as experts and leaders by all stakeholders. These groups increasingly value collaborative leadership styles, communication skills, and the ability to connect scientific knowledge with practical implementation on the ground. Women are often recognised for their capacity to facilitate dialogue between different stakeholders and to create more participatory and inclusive innovation processes.
Among farmers, I also see a positive evolution in the perception of women as technical experts and innovation leaders. Female advisors, researchers, and farmers themselves are becoming increasingly visible and respected within the sector. However, when it comes to implementing practices such as carbon farming or soil health improvement, I believe the most effective approach for farmers is still peer-to-peer knowledge exchange. Farmers tend to trust practices more when they see them successfully applied by other farmers facing similar realities and challenges.
For this reason, Living Labs are particularly valuable because they create spaces where knowledge does not flow only from researchers or institutions to farmers, but also directly between farmers themselves. In these environments, women farmers and female technical advisors can play a very important role as facilitators of trust and examples of successful innovation in practice. Seeing women actively leading field demonstrations, sharing experiences, and participating in decision-making processes also helps normalise female leadership within traditionally male-dominated agricultural environments.
What advice would you give to young women who want to pursue a career in soil science or environmental research, particularly those interested in climate adaptation, carbon farming, and collaborative approaches like Living Labs?
I would encourage young women to pursue careers in soil science and environmental research because these are highly multidisciplinary fields that allow you to address real agricultural and environmental challenges from a broad and integrated perspective. Topics such as climate adaptation, carbon farming, and soil health are not isolated scientific areas; they are closely connected to food production, biodiversity, water management, rural development, and the resilience of farming systems.
One of the most rewarding aspects of working in these fields is that the research can have a direct and tangible impact on farmers’ everyday realities. Soil science and environmental research make it possible to develop practical and applicable solutions that farmers can realistically implement in their own fields and farming systems. This connection between science and practice is especially important today, when agriculture faces increasingly complex challenges linked to climate change and sustainability.
I would also say that collaborative approaches such as Living Labs are particularly inspiring because they allow problems to be addressed from multiple perspectives. Researchers, farmers, policymakers, advisors, industry representatives, and local communities all bring different types of knowledge and experience. Working together in these environments helps create more realistic, innovative, and socially accepted solutions.
For young women specifically, I think these sectors offer many opportunities to contribute not only scientifically, but also through communication, collaboration, and leadership. The sector is evolving, and there is growing recognition that diversity of perspectives strengthens innovation and decision-making. My advice would be to stay curious, maintain a strong connection with real-world challenges, and not be afraid to participate actively in interdisciplinary and participatory projects. These experiences are not only professionally enriching, but also very meaningful because you can see how your work contributes directly to more sustainable and resilient rural communities.