Karen is a rancher in the department of Lavalleja in southern Uruguay. From her farm, Piedra Libre, she leads initiatives that combine climate adaptation and community building.

The name of her farm holds deep meaning for her. “‘Piedra libre’ was what we yelled when we were playing hide and seek. And when you ran to touch home base and yell ‘piedra libre [roughly, 'home free'] for me and all my friends!’ It was a communal game,” she explains. According to Karen, that notion of collaboration and collective effort is key to saving the country's agricultural sector.

In 2020, Karen left her life in the city to dedicate herself fully to the campo, knowing that she had to combine work and training. “Without education, it's hard to live in the country. It’s very important to get training. Otherwise, you’re immediately out of the game,” she says. So, she educated herself in areas like veterinary medicine, food safety and climate change.

Since 2019, Uruguay has had a National Plan for Adaptation to Variability and Climate Change for the Agricultural Sector, which is led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishing and with support from FAO and UNDP. The country is also making progress in climate change mitigation and adaptation through its nationally determined contributions (NDCs), having already submitted its third NDC. According to the latest report on the status of the NDCs, the country stands out for its firm commitment to gender equality, social inclusion and just transition.

Karen has seen how fear and lack of opportunities limit many women in her community, while traditional roles tend to make them invisible. “I do the same work as my husband; we share tasks,” she explains. “The connection women have to giving life is like that of the Earth”, she says, comparing the power that both have to create.

To break down barriers, she has taken on a crucial role in the VIGÍAS initiative, becoming a vital link to help other women access information, education and resources. From Piedra Libre, Karen dreams of building a better future from the countryside, with the goal of building a legacy based on community and equity.

Adriana is determined to reverse the situation by taking advantage of the solutions offered by the land. “During the last drought, the enclosures optimized water use,” she says, walking alongside one of the ponds that allowed her livestock to drink during the entire drought. Today in her community, she promotes initiatives like building cisterns to capture rainwater and improving water management with enclosed reservoirs to optimize its use in times of scarcity.

She has also integrated her property into the Refugios de Vida Silvestre programme, an NGO dedicated to preserving Uruguay's natural heritage, with the objective of transforming her land into a space where production and biodiversity conservation can coexist. She is also part of Semillas Fronterizas, part of the Red Nacional de Semillas Nativas y Criollas (National Network of Native and Creole Seeds), where – along with other rural women – she promotes the cultivation and conservation of native seeds, creating opportunities for sustainable production and economic autonomy.

But it wasn't always this way. Adriana explains that the area was expansive and didn't have a solid rural community fabric. However, with the VIGÍAS initiative, little by little, they have created a space where they can “manage collective issues”. Through events with other rural women, Adriana seeks to inspire others to become protectors of natural resources because, as she says: “We are the guardians of the natural landscape.”

Rosina has resolved to dedicate her life to preserving the land she inherited from her father. “Papa always said that he was borrowing the land from his children. And now I feel and see myself reflected in those words. I am borrowing this land from my children. That’s why I have to work it with responsibility and love,” she says.

Her farm is located near the Rio de la Plata in the city of Libertad, department of San Jose. In her own words, it is a “multipurpose property”, as she grows fruits, raises livestock and even practices horticulture.

This diversity of production reflects her integrated approach, and the adaptability needed to face the challenges of rural life and climate change. “The main difficulty we have today is dealing the climate variability, which are undoubtedly increasingly negative,” she explains. 

Running an agro-industrial business in a sector that is still dominated by men has been another challenge for Rosina, who balances family and work responsibilities as a mother of three children. But her business is breaking the mold: “This place is distinctive in that there are several women with positions of trust and responsibility, epitomizing this pride of being a rural woman, leading businesses.” This is how Rosina became the first woman in Uruguay to earn the Murú seal, which recognizes and values products and services from rural women.

Through the VIGÍAS initiative, Rosina has built ties with other women, and it makes her glad to know that she isn't the only one: “We have the same problems, we are fighting the same way, and we are searching [for solutions] so that we can move forward. This is wonderful, it needs to keep going and be replicated.”