Women in Ag Awards International 2022
The "Women in Ag Awards International", established by "Women in Ag" magazine in cooperation with EuroTier to honour inspiring women in international agriculture, was presented for the first time this year at EuroTier.
The winner was Diana Dykun, agricultural expert and chairwoman of SAVE UA (Ukraine). Second and third place went to Frederike Schierholz, egg producer from Germany, and Lucie Mainard, poultry producer from France. The prizes were presented by Freya von Czettritz (CEO of DLG Holding).
The idea for the "Women in Ag Awards International" arose from a cooperation between the magazine Women in Ag and the EuroTier organiser DLG.
Over 60 nominations were received, with candidates from Europe, the United States and Africa from a wide range of agricultural sectors and activities: from dairy farmers and poultry breeders to researchers and agricultural scientists. 15 profiles were shortlisted. From this list, the international jury of women from Europe, the USA and Zambia ultimately selected the three winners.
The jury members awarded points to the various profiles based on criteria such as innovative approaches to work, overall presentation of the activity and impact on the local and global agricultural community. The total number of points was then used to determine the winner, runner-up and third-place winners.
The award ceremony and announcement of the finalists took place on 16 November at EuroTier, Hall 26 on the DLG international stage under the direction of Editor-in-Chief Kim Schoukens. She had the honour of announcing the winner as well as the runners-up. Ines Rathke, EuroTier project manager, presented the DLG's initiative for the new award programme. Freya von Czettritz, CEO of DLG Holding, presented the prizes to the three winners together with Hella Otten, Head of the German Women in Agribusiness network.
Winner: Diana Dykun (Ukraine)
The winner of the "Women in Ag Awards International 2022" is Ukrainian agronomist Diana Dykun. She is the chairwoman of the non-profit organisation Save UA, which supports agricultural producers in the formerly occupied territories. The jury described Diana Dykun with keywords such as "humanity, consistency, perseverance and determination". Her impact on local agriculture is enormous, and the current situation in her region makes her work particularly difficult. Due to her commitments in Ukraine, Diana was unfortunately unable to attend the ceremony in person. She was represented by Hanna Lavreniuk, who also works for the organisation and accepted the award on Diana's behalf. Further information about Diana Dykun's non-profit organisation Save UA can be found on their website.
First runner-up: Friederike Schierholz (Germany)
Second place went to Friederike Schierholz from Hof Schierholz in Lower Saxony (Germany). She received many points for the regenerative orientation of her farm, including direct sowing and keeping chickens in mobile barns to regenerate the soil. The overall presentation of her farm on social media and the openness with which she presented her activities convinced the jury to vote her into second place. You can find more information about Friederike Schierholz's farm on her website.
Second runner-up: Lucie Mainard (France)
Third place went to Lucie Mainard with her organic egg farm "Les Jolies Rousses" in the French département of Vendée. Lucie impressed the jury with how she puts sustainability into practice on her farm and how she deals with difficulties. Since setting up the farm in 2019, Lucie has had to overcome several challenges, including the pandemic, bird flu in France and several heatwaves in one season. She has always shown perseverance, strength and positivity.
Unfortunately, Lucie was unable to attend the ceremony in person. French agricultural journalist Mathilde Brion accepted the award on her behalf. Lucie's full story can be found in the October issue of the magazine "Women in ag".
