We have just held the first meeting of the Agro Woman Program Council after the summer break. We discussed our work so far, ongoing programs, priorities for the near future, and European initiatives aimed at supporting women’s entrepreneurship in the agri-food sector.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to summarize the projects accomplished to date and discuss the current activities of the initiative. At the turn of 2023 and 2024, we organized the first conference in Poland dedicated to the mental well-being of farmers, in collaboration with the Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Since March of this year, we have been running a pilot mentoring program for entrepreneurial women in agriculture. The mentors in the mentoring program are experienced managers and recognized industry experts. Agro Woman Mentoring includes female farmers from across the country. The program is pilot in nature, and one of its goals, besides supporting the farmers themselves, is to gather knowledge about the real needs of women running agricultural businesses in rural areas.
The European Union, based on the principles of equality arising from Articles 2 and 3 of the EU Treaty and Article 21 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, promotes gender equality, including in agriculture. Therefore, gender equality is a fundamental principle of the Union, and special attention should be given to this issue. This also applies to promoting women’s participation in the socio-economic development of rural areas.
– stated Małgorzata Bojańczyk during the meeting.
Currently, we are conducting the Agro Woman survey on the living and working conditions of women in Polish agriculture – also with the substantive support of IRWIR PAN. This study is extremely necessary, and its goal is to analyze the role of female farmers in agricultural households and families, with particular emphasis on the division of tasks and forms of their involvement in managing both agricultural and household responsibilities. Furthermore, the study focuses on assessing female farmers’ access to formal educational offers that enable them to enhance their competencies in agriculture, processing, and entrepreneurship. An important element is also the analysis of their subjective assessment of well-being. Additionally, the study aims to identify structural barriers and cultural stereotypes that may limit the personal and professional development of female farmers, hindering their full participation in economic and social life.
The Agro Woman initiative actively supports women in the agri-food sector by working to eliminate barriers, promote equality, and enhance careers in the agri-food industry, including the exchange of best practices within the European Union.
– pointed out Karolina Tarnawska.
The substantive partner of Agro Woman is the Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The partners for international cooperation include the Embassies of France, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Germany.