The Potential of Bottom-up Social Innovation: A Case Study of the Shiga 100 Agri-Girls Project

The number of young female farmers is declining, and women’s entry rate in agriculture remains low in Japan. Addressing these challenges, bottom-up, women-led Social Innovation (SI) organizations are increasingly emerging and playing a crucial role in networking and empowering women in the rural landscape in Japan. This study employs an SI ecosystem framework to analyze the transformative potential and systemic challenges faced by the Shiga 100 Agri-Girls Project (S100AP), a grassroots organization of female farmers in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Through empirical case study research, including interviews, participant observations and document analysis, the study examines how the S100AP expands its reach, advocates for institutional changes, and conveys the SI principle to deepen its impact within the local agricultural landscape. Findings reveal that while the S100AP achieves notable success in economic and socio-political realms, it contends with gender norms, neoliberal administrative constraints, and dependency on a few committed members. The study underscores the pivotal role of resource owners such as governmental bodies and media in shaping SI initiatives’ outcomes, while also destabilizing official narratives of success by highlighting underlying gender disparities and systemic challenges. It calls for enhanced policy support advocacy to empower grassroots initiatives in promoting gender equality and sustainable rural development.