Why Supporting Women in Agriculture is Good for Business?

On December 4, 2024, Warsaw hosted the second conference organized by the Agro Woman Foundation, entitled ‘Women in Agriculture. The event was dedicated to supporting women from agricultural backgrounds, emphasizing their roles as leaders and innovators in the agricultural sector. The conference was held under the honorary patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

This is the second part of the summary of the “Women in Agriculture” conference. A summary of the plenary session is available on this page.

Promoting gender equality remains a core value of the European Union and special attention should be paid to increasing women’s participation in the socio-economic development of rural areas, particularly their contributions to shaping innovative agriculture. Businesses that work with farmers daily have a significant role to play here. Farms are a key part of the supply chain for companies in the agri-food sector, and women farmers should play a greater role than they currently do in shaping the entire sector. This will not be possible without increased involvement from businesses in promoting and expanding the role of women as managers of agricultural holdings. How to achieve this was discussed during the practical session of the conference.

At the beginning of the second part of the event, Dr. Czesław Siekierski, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, spoke, emphasizing that:

Women play a very important role in agriculture. Without them, the transformation of Polish agriculture, which has occurred over the 20 years of Poland’s membership in the European Union, would not have been possible. Women have made a significant contribution to changes in all areas of rural life. Transformations in agriculture and the development of technology have significantly expanded women’s professional opportunities on farms compared to the past. Jobs previously dominated by men due to physical demands have now become accessible to rural women. One of many such options is food processing.

The Minister of Agriculture also pointed out that women are present everywhere in rural areas – on the farm, in the home, and in community life.

This simultaneously results in a heavy burden on them. In terms of professional support for women in agriculture, there is still much to be done. I wish all women farmers that their role and hard work be more appreciated.

– Dr. Czesław Siekierski remarked.

Next, Karolina Tarnawska, President of the Agro Woman Foundation, addressed the audience, presenting the goals and assumptions of Agro Woman, including the foundation’s achievements and past activities:

The Agro Woman initiative was established just two years ago, but today it already unites many Polish women farmers. At the same time, Agro Woman has also gained many partners during this period who support the foundation’s programs. One of our most important programs is the research initiated this year on the socio-professional situation of Polish women farmers. We hope to continue this research, which will allow us to better understand the needs and expectations of women engaged in agro-business in Polish rural areas.

– Karolina Tarnawska said.

During her speech, she also emphasized the importance of gender equality, particularly in the context of Poland’s presidency of the Council of the EU. The foundation implements this priority with the support of its international cooperation partners: the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Embassy of Germany, and the Embassy of France, as well as the substantive backing of the Polish Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Food.

Over the past 18 months, we have built four pillars of our activity. The first is the involvement of the Foundation’s Vice President, Małgorzata Bojańczyk, in the Council of Non-Governmental Organizations for Poland’s Presidency of the EU Council, enabling us to address gender equality at the European level. The second important program we implemented is the Agro Woman Mentoring program, which we organized for the first time this year. It was a six-month program in which several women farmers from all over Poland were paired with mentors and mentees representing the largest and most modern agri-food companies in Poland and industry experts.

Another important area we focus on is the exchange of international experiences in cooperation with our embassy partners. To date, we have held several such meetings, discussing the challenges faced by women running farms. These discussions have enabled us to draw on our shared experiences. It is also worth mentioning expert meetings, including an event organized by Agro Woman a year ago – a conference dedicated to the mental well-being of women farmers and men farmers, the first of its kind on a topic often overlooked in public debates about Polish rural areas.

– she explained.

Karolina Tarnawska also presented the foundation’s plans for the coming years, including the upcoming year. Agro Woman intends to continue and expand its current activities in collaboration with initiative partners, focusing on three pillars: research and actions for the mental health and well-being of women and men farmers, food security, and equality and the development of rural communities.

In the next part of the conference, the organizers gave the floor to the women farmers themselves. The panel “Agriculture Through the Eyes of Women” featured participants of the Agro Woman Mentoring 2024 program:

Aneta Pająk – a farmer running Kozia Farma Wysoka, specializing in goat breeding and cheese production in her own dairy.
Magdalena Kapłan – engaged in fruit farming, primarily cultivating vineyards and producing grape wine.
Aldona Grocka – who, together with her husband, runs a dairy cattle farm.

The discussion was moderated by journalist and farmer Beata Jakoniuk-Wojcieszak.

The conversation began with Aneta Pająk sharing her experiences with the mentoring program:

Strong and independent women are needed in Polish rural areas. That’s why participating in the Agro Woman mentoring program was very important for me, as I have always been very entrepreneurial but didn’t always appreciate my role on the farm. Mentoring helped me recognize my role in running the business. I also identified areas I should further develop, and with this support, I now feel more confident in what I do.

Magdalena Kapłan shared her experiences:

The mentoring program helped me exchange experiences, provided support, and gave me a new perspective on certain issues we deal with to varying degrees. I also met many inspiring women.

Aldona Grocka summarized the program’s effects as follows:

The results of the program are evident in the fact that I am here today because previously, I wouldn’t have dared to speak publicly. This is my first public appearance, and I believe it became possible thanks to Agro Woman.

The discussion then focused on the challenges, needs, and expectations of women running agro-businesses in Poland.

Our biggest need in running a farm is definitely independence and decision-making power. However, to have these in our hands, we must be supported in the many roles we play on the farms. These are both professional and family roles, which still largely rest on us, women. On the one hand, we expect institutions to provide us with knowledge and expertise – in areas like finance or entrepreneurship. On the other hand, we need support in building self-confidence, as women in rural areas, often remaining in the shadow of their husbands, don’t realize their own value. It’s also crucial to reach women farmers with information about training and development opportunities, as they are often unaware of their existence. At the same time, it must be remembered that to develop professionally, we need support in our family lives.

– said Aneta Pająk.

Women also play a very important role in instilling in children a love for the land and their family home, introducing them to agriculture, tools, and everything related to running a farm. We must do everything we can to encourage our children to stay in rural areas. Although only 16% of women are officially farm managers – as shown by the Agro Woman research findings – I believe they play a very significant role in managing farms. Often, they are the hidden managers who handle all the administration, take care of the documentation, participate in training courses, and take on a substantial part of the farm’s management. Therefore, cooperation is crucial on a farm, because while women may not always be able to perform heavy physical labor, they bear much of the responsibility for the farm.

– emphasized Magdalena Kapłan.

One of the significant issues is that rural Poland, from the perspective of women, is still perceived as associated with hard work and taking care of the home and children, but this is not the case. Women in rural areas also have time for their own activities, for going to the cinema, or for trips. We should talk about this and present a true picture of rural life to encourage other women to stay in rural areas and connect their professional future with it.

– summarized Aldona Grocka.

At the end of the panel, the discussion focused on the importance of innovation and the role of women in modernizing farms and transforming agriculture toward sustainability, including creating solutions for future challenges.

Thanks to innovations, women are able to take on various farm tasks. This includes both technological innovations and those related to managing documentation. As a result, women are increasingly capable of thriving in the agricultural environment.

– highlighted Aneta Pająk.

Over the past 20 years, a lot has happened in terms of innovation on our farm. We transitioned from milking cows using a pipeline system to a milking parlor, and we are already planning the installation of milking robots, striving to modernize in every aspect to reduce our work time as much as possible. Similarly, in fieldwork, we purchase modern machines and use a feed wagon to feed the animals. All this helps us streamline our work. There is really a lot that can be achieved in terms of innovation.

– assessed Aldona Grocka.

The final official part of the conference was the panel discussion entitled “Best Practices of Companies – How to Support and Promote the Activity of Women in Agriculture”, which featured representatives from the business world, academia, and the Agro Woman Foundation:

Agata Stolarska, Timac Agro Polska
Magdalena Brzezińska, Grupa Żywiec
Agnieszka Maliszewska, Polish Chamber of Milk
Tomasz Kurpiewski, McDonald’s Polska
Karolina Tarnawska, Agro Woman
Monika Stanny, Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development, Polish Academy of Sciences (IRWiR PAN)

The discussion was moderated by Beata Jakoniuk-Wojcieszak.

The panel opened with remarks from Magdalena Brzezińska, who emphasized the importance of agriculture for the entire agri-food market and the impact of sourcing local raw materials on the quality of final food products:

As one of the leaders in the brewing industry, we care deeply about the quality of agricultural products because our entire industry relies on it. Poland is urbanizing rapidly, which means that young people are leaving rural areas for cities. And if there are no women in rural areas, nothing interesting will happen there. That’s why it’s particularly important for us to retain people in villages, to help rural areas develop, and to make them greener through the implementation of sustainable farming principles. This also applies to local sourcing of raw materials, which translates into higher quality products and shorter supply chains. This is one of the reasons we created the dedicated program ‘Ż Rolnikami’ at Grupa Żywiec. Its goal is to promote the cultivation of malting barley in Poland to support the development of local crops. On our side, we offer farmers support in the form of long-term contracts, guarantees for purchasing agricultural produce, market-price guarantees, and access to knowledge and training.

Tomasz Kurpiewski from McDonald’s Polska echoed similar aspects, highlighting the importance of diversity in management, citing the high proportion of women in managerial positions within the organization:

To provide high-quality products, a complete supply chain is needed, including collaboration at the farm level. At McDonald’s Polska, we work with 80,000 farms managed by both male and female farmers. The role of women in agriculture is very important to us. We cooperate with the Polish Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Food as well as Agro Woman. This focus on diversity is also reflected in our restaurants, where 73% of managers are women.

Monika Stanny pointed out that much remains to be done in terms of achieving gender equality:

Among the directors of the Polish Academy of Sciences, only 7% are women, so I personally feel the significance of the need to support women in agriculture on a daily basis. We must primarily work to change the cultural code, which requires systemic changes and takes time, but we also need immediate strategies, such as the Agro Woman initiative.

Agnieszka Maliszewska discussed the importance of collaboration and promoting women:

Our role is to support one another and break stereotypes to increase women’s participation in management. We should start with changing mindsets and combat the belief among women that they lack the value to succeed. This is why showcasing examples of women’s successes is so important, particularly when it comes to supporting young women, who are quite numerous in agriculture.

Karolina Tarnawska, president of the Agro Woman Foundation, continued:

Yes, it’s worth supporting one another – regardless of whether we are women or men – because it’s easier to act together. Collaboration gives us examples of others’ successes, inspiration, and motivation to take action ourselves. We must also remember to support one another in our efforts to support, rather than competing in the act of support. In the agricultural field, the development of women, achieving equality, and taking on managerial roles is challenging to achieve alone, which is why we must provide them with extra support.

In conclusion, Agata Stolarska highlighted the crucial role women can play in agriculture, particularly in the context of innovative actions:

Women are key to the success of the green transformation in rural areas because they are much more open to dialogue and discussions about the future of agriculture, about the direction we should take, and about what needs to change so we don’t ignore the effects of climate change. The goal is to find a farming model that ensures healthy development and a future for our children. Women are far more open to this kind of dialogue, yet they are often excluded from it. That’s why, as a company, we promote a model that involves women in discussions about the future of agriculture, because they are more open to those conversations.

The “Women in Agriculture” conference aimed to provide participants with practical knowledge and inspiration while drawing attention to the role of public institutions in supporting women as leaders of change in agriculture. The event promoted gender equality and showcased the role of women as leaders and innovators in modern, sustainable agriculture and the agri-food sector. It was a unique opportunity to discuss challenges and opportunities and to collectively explore ways to support and strengthen women’s roles in this crucial sector of the economy.

The discussions and panels underscored the indispensable role women play in shaping modern, sustainable agriculture, while highlighting the need for continued support from businesses, institutions, and communities to unlock their full potential.