Interviewreihe: Starke Frauen in der Agrar-, Forst- und Ernährungswirtschaft – Ema Maldonado-Siman
Flankierend zum Positionspapier der >>Verbändeallianz zum Internationalen Jahr der Frauen in der Landwirtschaft 2026 stellt die Europäische Genossenschaft Education and Qualification Alliance SCE Frauen in der Landwirtschaft vor, die wertvolle Beiträge zur doppelten Transformation leisten. In einer Reihe von monatlichen Interviews stellen wir diese Frauen mit ihren Ideen, Innovationen und Netzwerken vor. Für den Monat März hat EQA ein Interview mit Prof. Dr. Ema Maldonado-Siman geführt.
Prof. Dr. Ema Maldonado-Siman
Prof. Dr. Ema Maldonado-Siman is an agricultural engineer specializing in agricultural parasitology, with a PhD in Agro-industrial problems from the Autonomous University of Chapingo. She is a professor in the Postgraduate Program in Animal Production/Department of Animal Science at the same university, and her lectures focus on food safety and quality in the training of human resources at various academic levels. She is a Researcher of the National Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies (CONAHCYT), Level 1. Her research focuses on standards and regulations in the food supply chain, and she publishes research articles in different journals, edited books and authored book chapters in international editions. Her external outreach activities involve assessing the levels of adoption of standards and regulations for the safety and quality of agricultural and livestock products. She holds the designation of EQAsce lecturer in the field of food safety from the Junior Continuing Education (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Qualität) based in Bonn, Germany. She holds the title of EQAsce professor in the field of food safety at Junior Continuing Education (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Qualität), based in Bonn, Germany. She is the director of the EQA team at the EQA contact point for Central and South America, and was awarded the 2014 “GIQS cross-border Public-Private Partnership” (Grenzüberschreitende Integrierte Qualitätssicherung e.V.) GIQS Prize in Germany. Ema Maldonado-Siman has been a member of the EQA Committee Lifelong Learning and Microcredentials since 2015. The committee members ensure the connection to the current state of scientific knowledge, scientific transparency and presence in the academic sphere, mutual enrichment of the work of EQA and the projects of the committee members.
EQA: With TUNEQA, we have set out to establish three training specializations:
– EQA System Manager Food Chain
– EQA System Manager Food Safety and Health
– EQA System Manager Risk and Crisis Management
What significance do the three digital education credentials mentioned above have for professionals working in international value chains for fruit and vegetables that can be supplied to Europe from Mexico and South America under the Mercosur agreement?
Ema Maldonado-Siman: Currently, these digital certifications, aimed at professionals involved in international value chains for fruit, vegetables, and meat products, address issues of utmost importance, such as oversight and compliance with regulations throughout the value chain. Similarly, this type of certificate focus on global food safety programs based on the HACCP system and Global Food Safety Initiative standards (GFSI). Furthermore, in times of risk and crisis, professionals require in-depth training in product recall, cause identification and analysis, and risk mitigation strategies. In addition to this approach, there are currently significant changes in regulations governing food exchanges worldwide. For all countries in the Americas to export to European markets, they require highly trained professionals to comply with regulations across processing plants, farms, crops, transport, and various distribution sites. Therefore, it is essential to ensure the level of training necessary to perform these functions in each country, given the disparity in training levels across Central and South American exporting countries.
EQA: Which international ISO standards and industry standards are given more importance today in the trade of agricultural products than in previous years? And which additional standards are likely to gain increasing importance in the coming years with regard to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals?
Ema Maldonado-Siman: Presently, under the 17 sustainability goals, the world faces interrelated challenges that address the highest-priority topics, leading to objectives primarily focused on integrating government policies and business strategies into environmental, social and governance aspects, coupled with global initiatives to safeguard a sustainable future for people, animals and plants. Then, it requires integrated action, corporate and government participation, and, at the same time, the definition of critical areas under a roadmap. In this scenario, the most important international ISO standards that assess various aspects of trade in agricultural and livestock products are related to ISO 22000; ISO 9001:2015; ISO 14001:2015; ISO 45001; ISO 26000; and ISO 14064-1. On the other hand, among the relevant standards that will become increasingly more important are ISO 24510; ISO 14046; ISO 56002; and SO/IEC 27001:2022.
EQA: What additional career opportunities open up for students around the world if, in line with a lifelong learning concept for further and continuing education, they receive digital certificates and can collect them in a personal digital portfolio, the QCERT wallet?
Ema Maldonado-Siman: The current global landscape of geopolitical risks and regulatory changes in food marketing has created a scenario of uncertainty. In this context, price instability and trade restrictions threaten food safety, leading governments to implement stricter food safety regulations. For this reason, obtaining a personal digital Q-CERT-Wallet, which enables students and food professionals to quickly and effectively acquire specialized knowledge across various aspects of food operations in different markets, including the international market, is becoming increasingly important. At the same time, it significantly increases employment opportunities, particularly for companies in the Americas interested in exporting to Europe. The Q-CERT-Wallet reports specific skills in progress, with abilities constantly updated, allowing employers to confirm them instantly, leading to greater competitiveness in the job market. Similarly, it offers the monitoring of new alternatives through constant updates with flexible schedules via blockchain, which can be acquired without the need for physical paperwork, representing a significant advantage in terms of time and money savings for interested parties located on another continent. Additionally, another fundamental aspect concerns the certainty of accuracy and the accessibility of exchange. It also allows participants to manage their time according to their personal and professional needs.
