Women Cultivate Change: Driving Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Empowerment
Tabasco, Mexico – july 30, 2025 – Women are increasingly recognized as pivotal forces in agronomy, contributing significantly too sustainable development, poverty reduction, and gender equality in rural communities. Currently, women occupy 40 percent of agricultural field activities, a statistic that underscores their vital role in the sector.
This crucial contribution was highlighted by Sayani Teresa López Espinosa, a research professor at the Academic Division of Agricultural Sciences (DACA) of the universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco (UJAT). Speaking on the UJAT TV program “Science is in details” during an episode titled “Women in Agronomy,” López Espinosa emphasized that women are not just cultivating the land but also “cultivating change.”
López Espinosa noted that UJAT is collaborating wiht governmental bodies, including the Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation (Secihti), to bolster women’s participation and acknowledge their invaluable impact on the future of agriculture.
The interview delved into the past and contemporary significance of women in agricultural production, tracing their involvement from the domestication of seeds to their leadership in implementing sustainable practices.
Within UJAT, López Espinosa actively promotes the “DACA scientific club” and oversees the “scientific summer” program, which integrates students from diverse disciplines into practical laboratory and field experiences. Furthermore, her efforts extend to community engagement through urban agriculture workshops, seed germination, grafting techniques, and promoting responsible consumption.
López Espinosa, a Doctor in Sustainable Tropical Agriculture, possesses a distinguished academic and professional background. She is an agri-food engineer graduate from UJAT, holds a teaching degree in agricultural production from the Autonomous University Antonio Narro in coahuila, and earned her doctorate from the National Technological Institute of Mexico, Campus Conkal, Yucatán.
Her research interests are centered on sustainable agriculture in tropical regions.Currently, she is leading a postdoctoral project focused on selenium bioaccumulation and bioactive compounds in native bean varieties in Tabasco, with support from Secihti.
