List of projects

Fem2forests - Innovative pathways for efficient involvement of girls and young women in the forestry sector

Project website

Status

Active

Project leader

dr. Nike Krajnc

Department

Department for forest Technique and Economics

Coworkers

Darja Stare dr. Katarina Flajšman Polona Vukovič Špela Ščap

Partners

Slovenian Forestry Institute (lead partner, SI), Foundation for Improvement of Employment Possibilities Prizma (SI), University of Ljubljana Biotechnical Faculty (SI), Bavarian State Institute of Forestry (DE), Forest Training Center PICHL (AT), NOWA Training Counselling Project management (AT), Agency for sustainable development of the Carpathian region "FORZA" (UA), Forestry and Environmental Action (BIH), University of Belgrade-Faculty of Forestry (RS), University Ştefan cel Mare of Suceava (RO), Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZ), Croatian Union of Private Forest Owners Associations (HR), Croatian Chamber of Forestry and Wood Technology Engineers (HR), Foresta SG (CZ), Ukrainian National Forestry University (UA)

About the project

Title: Innovative pathways for efficient involvement of girls and young women in the forestry sector

Acronym: Fem2forests

Project Number: DRP0200118

Duration: 01.01.2024 - 30.06.2026

Budget: €1.6 million

Co-financing: 80 % European Union: European Regional Development Fund, Interreg Danube Region Programme

Partnership: 15 partners, from 9 countries

Lead partner: Slovenian Forestry Institute

Main challenges addressed by the project

There is a shortage of labour in forestry and other forestry-related sectors, and interest in careers in this sector is also declining. Nevertheless, forestry is known for creating "green jobs" that not only contribute to the preservation of forest ecosystems, but also ensure the sustainable production of forest wood assortments and non-timber products. The Fem2forests project builds on the foundations of the previous Fem4Forest project (DTP3-500), which gave us an insight into the position of women in forestry in the Danube region and is also a motivation for further work with girls and women in forestry. With this project, we want to contribute to strengthening the forestry sector in the Danube region at local, regional and international level by involving young women and girls to a greater extent.

The aims of the Fem2forests project:

To develop innovative career paths for girls and young women,
To strengthen the capacity of forestry education institutions by integrating the gender equality aspect and
To create favourable conditions for the effective inclusion of women at different levels in forestry and forestry-related sectors.

To achieve these goals, the Fem2forests concept follows an interactive and innovative model that involves different actors and covers different levels of career paths in forestry, from the early stages of orientation to leadership positions. Various methods are used to identify the needs and interests of girls and young women in the forestry sector - workshops, surveys, interviews and more. Educational institutions, companies and organisations and other stakeholders will also be involved in the project to help change awareness and create a framework for a more diverse workforce that promotes sustainable development, especially in rural areas. With these activities, we aim to increase the proportion of young women in the forestry sector, for which communication and involvement of the target groups from the beginning of the project are crucial.

Project poster (click on the image)