The agricultural sector is seen as predominantly male for both hereditary and cultural reasons. However, this idea is getting more and more outdated with women taking the lead in business and creating real empires within the sector. No wonder that last Friday (15), two cattle farmers from Mato Grosso do Sul were named to Forbes’ “100 Powerful Women in Agriculture” list.
Forbes is the world’s leading business and economics magazine. For the menu, the company has chosen representatives of the agricultural movement that is making changes in the countryside. They are women who stand out in different sectors: plant and animal food production, in academia, research, companies, food technology, consulting, financial institutions, politics, entities, caste groups, and more than ever before on social media.
Of the 100 names on the list, Eddie Elaine Tarravel and Teresa Cristina are singled out to represent the case of Mato Grosso do Sul well.
In 36th place is Eddie Ellen Travel. She works as a farmer in Mato Grosso do Sul and president of rural associations in the municipalities of Evenhima and Novo Horizonte. In ranching, she took over the family property when she was 20 years old, in 1998. The union presidency also came early, in 2002, becoming the first woman in the state to take on this type of enterprise. Today it is a pioneer in its region.
The 95th place is highlighted by the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Resources. Teresa Christina. From Campo Grande, the agronomist worked for 10 years on the family’s property in the state, before beginning her police life.
As portfolio manager since 2019, she has distinguished her work by opening new markets for Brazilian products, integrating family farming into agricultural policies and preparing the country for international meetings, such as COP-26 in November.
Business in Mato Grosso do Sul
Mato Grosso do Sul also appeared in two other rankings in the same category. According to the Forbes list, other women have also been recognized as “100 Powerful Women in Agriculture” with their businesses based in the area.
This is the situation Amalia Sechis, 10th. She is a co-founder of Beef Passion, a brand of Angus and Wagyu beef and their crossbreed, which originated in Mato Grosso do Sul and ended in the interior of São Paulo. It was she who convinced her father, Antonio Seches, of what would become a reference project in meat quality research with institutions such as Unesp (São Paulo State University) and Embrapa Gado de Corte, in Campo Grande (MS). Creativity and management, which even includes music in a confined environment, is a reference in animal care.
94th, cattle and sociologist Tikka Vendramini Third generation orders in agribusiness. In 2020, she was elected as the first woman to lead the Brazilian Rural Association, an association founded in 1919. The focus of her management was primarily on social and environmental issues. In this field, Teka is engaged in the field of genetic improvement, pasture quality and animal care in properties located in São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul.
Check out Forbes’ full list of “100 Powerful Women in Agriculture” Click here.
