Yesterday, October 15th, International Rural Women’s Day was celebrated, and from the CONSOLE project we want to make the recognition they deserve.
According to EUROSTAT data (2016), less than 30% of farms in the European Union are managed by women, in addition to being still a small amount, there are large differences between member countries, as you can see in graph 1.
Graph 1.Graph 1. Comparative rural manage by sex in European Union Members
But according to the European Commission reports, the proportion of agricultural women is growing – slowly – in the rural areas of the European Union in last decades thanks to the evolution of society and the guidelines carried out by the European Union and its member countries.
European Union support for women in rural areas
As the European Commission announces, the new agricultural policies developed must be aimed at making agriculture an attractive profession for both sexes.
Gender integration has long been addressed through rural development programs funded by the common agricultural policy. It is affirmed from this institution that the countries of the European Union are obliged to analyze the situation of women in rural areas, designing, with the results detected, development programs conducive to their integral development.
Celebrating International Women’s Day, the EU is not only helping to ensure that rural areas of Europe remain competitive and connected places to live, but it is also working to ensure that the next generation of farmers better reflects the balance of Europe gender.
