Spain

CIHEAM Zaragoza hosts the eighth meeting of Spain’s agricultural entrepreneurs under the GRASS CEILING project on 8-9 April, organized by Campus de Palencia of the University of Valladolid and Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España.

The latest meeting of the Spanish Living Lab, part of the European GRASS CEILING project, has concluded today. During the two-day event, participants have echoed sentiments shared across the project’s international network, highlighting that the gender gap remains a persistent obstacle in rural areas and the agricultural sector. Despite their vital role, women entrepreneurs continue to face significant barriers, even though they bring expertise, innovation and meaningful contribution to local economies and social development.

As a member of the GRASS CEILING consortium, CIHEAM Zaragoza hosted the two-day event, which brought together twenty Living Lab members and stakeholders, including eight women entrepreneurs leading agrifood businesses in scarcely populated territories of Aragon, Asturias, Castile and León.

These entrepreneurs are implementing innovative processes on their farms, ranging from the adoption of high-tech equipment to the digitalisation of technical operations, and management and administrative processes. They are also incorporating new crop rotations to promote environmental sustainability.

A notable distinction in their approach, compared to many of their male peers, is the integration of social innovation. These women are working actively to increase the visibility of women’s roles in rural life by establishing networks, offering training opportunities and facilitating knowledge exchange. Several participants are already involved in such initiatives and others are planning to do so in the near future.

Environmental stewardship is another defining feature of their work. Many women are creating sustainable business models that make use of local materials and food products, often delivering direct to customers so as to minimise dependence on complex and costly supply chains.

The women gathered in Zaragoza have demonstrated that women-led businesses help local communities to thrive. However, they continue to face deep-rooted stereotypes and traditional gender roles that make their work invisible. Many also struggle to find time to develop their businesses, either because of the demands of farm work or because they have to tend to family responsibilities.

Women in the farming sector also have to address a number of specific issues that hinder their innovation work. The high costs of advanced agricultural technology, together with structural difficulties in the sector such as volatile markets, rising production costs, and complex European regulations, etc. deter many women from investing in innovation because of the technical and economic risks involved.

During the meeting they also discussed the lack of telecommunication infrastructures in rural areas, inadequate general services, the burden of excessive bureaucracy and inappropriate regulations for rural areas.

The women explored ways to overcome these obstacles and studied a range of potential public and private support mechanisms, exchanging ideas on how institutions could be reinforced or reoriented to improve the welfare of rural women and integrate more women entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector. The support mechanisms are based on four pillars: individual empowerment to break down stereotypes and traditional expectations; improved rural services and infrastructure; financial support for women in agriculture; and reforms to governance and agricultural policies.

Other topics debated during the meeting included the importance of training and advisory services in sustainable innovation, the value of collaborative work via associations, cooperatives and support networks, the need for greater representation of women in decision-making roles, promotion of shared family responsibilities, and actions to elevate the status and quality of life in rural areas.

How does GRASS CEILING contribute to the EU gender equality objectives?

The project offers practical solutions for rural and gender policy-making by identifying inequalities in agriculture and rural communities across the EU. It is drawing up policy recommendations based on in-depth analysis to help the European Commission better deliver on its gender equality commitments. The Living Lab model supports innovating women and helps to create employment in remote rural areas and improve the situation of women running their own business.

GRASS CEILING has worked closely with women from local communities in the nine countries engaged in the project, developing a model that provides access to training, mentorship, resources, and a platform for debate and exchange of ideas. This participatory research approach empowers women to develop new business ideas and strengthen the local economic and social fabric of their regions. The Living Labs are an essential part of the GRASS CEILING project. They are interactive innovation hubs, led by and for women. They support women entrepreneurs as well as policy-makers and support organisations in the countries involved in the consortium and across the EU.

El CIHEAM Zaragoza ha acogido los días 8 y 9 de abril la octava reunión del grupo de emprendedoras agrarias españolas del proyecto europeo GRASS CEILING, organizada por el Campus de Palencia de la Universidad de Valladolid y por Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España.

La reunión del ‘Living Lab’ español del proyecto europeo GRASS CEILING ha concluido hoy poniendo de manifiesto, como ocurre en el resto de países que integran el consorcio del proyecto, que la brecha de género persiste cuando se habla de territorio rural y sector agrario. Las mujeres emprendedoras en áreas rurales enfrentan desventajas significativas, a pesar de que representan un importante papel debido a su formación cualificada, sus ideas innovadoras y su contribución al mantenimiento económico y social del entorno rural.

El encuentro se ha celebrado durante los días 8 y 9 de abril en el CIHEAM Zaragoza, entidad que forma parte del consorcio internacional de este proyecto, y ha reunido a una veintena de personas, incluidas ocho emprendedoras que lideran iniciativas agroalimentarias en territorios despoblados de Aragón, Asturias y Castilla y León.

Las mujeres participantes en el proyecto están desarrollando en la actualidad procesos innovadores en sus explotaciones, que conllevan el empleo de maquinaria de tecnología avanzada y digitalización de procesos técnicos y también administrativos y de gestión. Asimismo, tienden hacia la búsqueda de nuevos cultivos para realizar rotaciones en el terreno y conseguir así una mayor sostenibilidad.

Una característica que diferencia su proceso innovador en relación con emprendedores masculinos en este mismo sector es que las mujeres destacan la necesidad de llevar a cabo innovaciones de tipo social, apoyando la visibilización del colectivo femenino en el campo, creando redes de trabajo o facilitando la adquisición de formación e información. Varias de las mujeres del proyecto están llevando a cabo innovaciones sociales en este ámbito o tienen planeado ponerlas en marcha en un futuro próximo.

Otro elemento importante a destacar del modelo de emprendimiento rural femenino es que, cada vez más, las mujeres están desarrollando iniciativas respetuosas con el medio ambiente, por ejemplo, utilizando métodos sostenibles para crear productos a partir de materiales y alimentos locales, que en muchas ocasiones suministran directamente a los clientes para minimizar los costes de cadenas de distribución complejas.

El grupo de mujeres reunidas en Zaragoza han constatado que las empresas dirigidas por mujeres ayudan a que las comunidades locales prosperen, a pesar de que actualmente aún existen estereotipos y roles asignados a las mujeres rurales que hacen que su trabajo no sea suficientemente valorado. Otra barrera personal con la que las mujeres reconocen enfrentarse a la hora de poner en marcha una innovación en su explotación agraria está relacionada con la falta de tiempo (bien por un exceso de trabajo en la propia explotación o por sus responsabilidades familiares).

Existen también una serie de problemas específicos que encuentran en el sector agrícola y ganadero y que les frena en el proceso de innovación. Una de esas limitaciones son los elevados costes que supone la adquisición de instalaciones y maquinaria de alta tecnología. Este problema financiero se magnifica debido a los problemas estructurales a los que se enfrenta el sector agrario (mercados inestables, costes de producción crecientes, dependencia de exigente normativa europea, etc.), lo que hace que en muchas ocasiones no compense asumir el riesgo técnico y económico que conlleva una innovación.

La falta de infraestructuras de telecomunicaciones en el ámbito rural y en general la escasa dotación de servicios básicos en estas zonas, es otro de los problemas que mencionan. También manifiestan que la excesiva burocracia y la existencia de normativa no adecuada al medio rural son otros frenos a tener en cuenta.

Por todo ello, en este encuentro se han debatido las principales medidas de apoyo que desde diferentes estamentos públicos y privados habría que reforzar o reconducir para mejorar el bienestar de las mujeres del campo y conseguir una mayor incorporación de emprendedoras al sector agrario. Estas medidas se han estructurado en torno a cuatro ejes: medidas de apoyo personal a las mujeres para derribar roles y estereotipos; medidas relacionadas con la falta de servicios e infraestructuras rurales; medidas relacionadas con el sector agrario de especial trascendencia para las mujeres; y medidas relacionadas con la gobernanza y las actuales políticas agrarias.

La formación y el asesoramiento en nuevos manejos innovadores y sostenibles, el fomento del trabajo colaborativo (asociaciones, cooperativas y redes de apoyo), los mayores niveles de liderazgo de las mujeres en puestos de toma de decisiones, la corresponsabilidad de las tareas familiares, las medidas de apoyo al medio rural, o las acciones de apoyo para lograr una mayor dignificación del campo, han sido alguno de los aspectos acerca de los cuales se ha debatido más intensamente a lo largo de estas dos jornadas de trabajo.

¿Qué aporta GRASS CEILING a los objetivos de igualdad de género de la UE?

Este proyecto aporta soluciones prácticas para la política rural y de género. Ha identificado las disparidades de género existentes en la agricultura y las comunidades rurales de toda la UE. Formula recomendaciones de política basadas en análisis profundos que destacan cómo la Comisión Europea puede cumplir su compromiso con la igualdad de género de forma más eficaz. Los ‘Living Labs’ o laboratorios de experiencias son un modelo que trabaja con mujeres innovadoras y ayuda a la creación de empleo en zonas rurales remotas y a mejorar la situación de las mujeres que ya se encuentran al frente de su propia empresa.

En GRASS CEILING se ha trabajado estrechamente con mujeres de comunidades locales en los nueve países participantes para desarrollar un modelo que proporcione a las mujeres formación, acceso a recursos, tutoría y un foro de debate y de opinión. Este enfoque participativo de la investigación apoya a las mujeres para desarrollar nuevas innovaciones empresariales y fortalecer el tejido económico y social de las regiones locales. Los laboratorios de experiencias de GRASS CEILING, que son parte indispensable y fundamental de este proyecto, son iniciativas de innovación interactivas, dirigidas por y para mujeres, que aumentarán el conocimiento y proporcionarán herramientas para ayudar a las innovadoras y a las organizaciones de apoyo y políticas a nivel de los Estados que conforman el consorcio y del resto de países de la UE.

The Spanish group of women entrepreneurs in the GRASS CEILING European project will convene for their eighth meeting on 8-9 April 2025 at CIHEAM Zaragoza, a member of the project consortium. Meeting agenda here.

The University of Valladolid and the agrifood cooperative Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España, also consortium members, will be responsible for the academic and technical organisation of the event.

These agricultural entrepreneurs participate in the project’s Spanish Living Lab – a hub for social innovation where academics, agricultural and gender experts, and specialists in rural innovation and equality, collaborate in a network to discuss common challenges, identify needs and propose strategies for improvement.

The Spanish group focuses on initiatives in agriculture and food led by women living in less populated rural areas in the north of Spain. Their stories showcase the wide range of opportunities that the crop and livestock farming sectors can offer as key elements of rural development, food production, and the socioeconomic revitalisation of the rural area.

During their time in Zaragoza, they will be participating in several working sessions to analyse and propose support measures for women innovating in agriculture. They will also visit the Aragonese sheep cooperative Pastores Group to learn more about its organisational model where women play a prominent role as decision-makers.

The entrepreneurs share their experience though the project’s communication and dissemination channels that showcase entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives in the primary sector.

As part of this meeting, GRASS CEILING’s Spanish Living Lab will feature insights from eight entrepreneurs:

• Lucía Velasco, a livestock farmer from Somiedo in Asturias, who describes herself as a guardian of the transhumant Vaqueira culture. She is also a social media influencer with over 73,000 followers on Instagram and 142,000 on Facebook.
• Marta Llorente, a pig farmer and co-manager of an extensive rainfed farm and vineyard in Zazuar (Burgos). She was named Woman Entrepreneur of the year at the 2024 awards of the newspaper El Norte de Castilla.
• Amada de Salas owns a rainfed cereal farm and a vineyard, and runs an underground craft winery in Dueñas (Palencia). This year, she was also a finalist for the MujerAgro 2024 award presented in Madrid in February.
• Silvia González, a farmer from Palencia and owner of a rainfed cereal and oilseed crop farm in Villaconancio.
• Ana María Olmo, from Collazos de Boedo (Palencia), manages a rainfed cereal farm and a small irrigated plot where she cultivates potatoes, onions and pulses. She also has a flourishing beekeeping business.
• María José Velilla, from Alfamén (Aragon), is an extensive livestock farmer raising the Rasa Aragonesa sheep breed, producing high-quality meat under the Ternasco de Aragón Designation of Origin label. She is a member of the Oviaragón-Pastores cooperative.
• Pilar Monferrer, owner of a family-run rainfed crop farm in Jorcas (Teruel). She also grows organic crops.
• Laura Polo, who will attend the meeting online, runs the egg farm Granja Pepín in Alba de Cerrato (Palencia), raising and feeding free-range hens following the family tradition.

The meeting on 8-9 April will be led by a team of five women from academia at the University of Valladolid led by Professor Margarita Rico, together with Carmen Martínez, technical specialist from the Department of Equality of Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España. They will be joined by professionals from the public administration in different parts of the country, agricultural associations and experts in rural innovation and gender-related issues, all regular collaborators of the project.

La Federación de Asociaciones de Mujeres Rurales presenta una reedición de su catálogo de buenas prácticas con historias reales de proyectos que han transformado su entorno.

FADEMUR (Federación de Asociaciones de Mujeres Rurales) ha presentado una reedición del “Catálogo de Buenas Prácticas en el Medio Rural”, una publicación que recoge las historias de catorce mujeres rurales que han desarrollado proyectos que combinan tradición, innovación y sostenibilidad, generando un alto impacto positivo en su entorno.

Se trata de historias reales que demuestran las experiencias positivas y el potencial del medio rural, impulsadas por mujeres que han sido capaces de «unir, con gran esfuerzo, tradiciones y avances”, demostrando que innovación y sostenibilidad se dan la mano en este tipo de proyectos: diferentes emprendimientos puestos en marcha por asociaciones de mujeres u organizaciones que trabajan en el territorio por el desarrollo local y comunitario.Teresa López, president of FADEMUR, describes the publication: “These pages tell the stories of our entrepreneurs and their constant efforts to achieve their goals, giving rural communities the recognition they deserve”.

Teresa López, presidenta de FADEMUR, ha destacado que “en estas páginas podemos conocer historias de vida, de nuestras emprendedoras que luchan cada día para hacer realidad los objetivos y las metas para dar el valor que realmente se merece el mundo rural”.

Este catálogo, que ha contado con el apoyo del Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico, pretende ser una guía de experiencias que inspiren en la construcción de comunidades más sostenibles, inclusivas y vivas. Este año, gracias a la colaboración de la FEMP (Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias), FADEMUR ha realizado una versión impresa del libro y los ejemplares se están distribuyendo a todos los municipios de España.

FADEMUR ha recogido estos ejemplos como modelos de “nuevas formas de hacer las cosas, comprometidas con el planeta, innovaciones desde el propio terreno, vidas que hablan de la importancia de la sostenibilidad para las personas, para nuestra tierra, para un crecimiento económico que no deje a nadie atrás”.

El catálogo cuenta en sus últimas páginas con unos vídeos donde pueden conocerse cinco de estas historias ejemplares como la de las emprendadoras de la Asociación Rural Las Moreras en Carboso (Plasencia), la de Lana Marimorena en Cortegana (Huelva o, la del Obrador Fusaiola en Insua-Villalba (Lugo).

The Spanish Federation of Associations of Rural Women (FADEMUR) has released a revised edition of its Catalogue of Good Practices in the Rural Environment, featuring the stories of fourteen remarkable rural women who have launched projects that combine tradition, innovation, and sustainability, making a significant positive impact on their communities.

These real-life stories of amazing experiences highlight the potential of the rural environment through initiatives led by women’s associations and grassroots organisations dedicated to local and community development. They illustrate how rural women have worked hard to combine tradition and progress, proving that innovation and sustainability can go hand in hand.

Teresa López, president of FADEMUR, describes the publication: “These pages tell the stories of our entrepreneurs and their constant efforts to achieve their goals, giving rural communities the recognition they deserve”.

Supported by the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, this catalogue serves as an inspiring collection of experiences that will motivate others to build more sustainable, inclusive, and thriving communities. This year, thanks to collaboration with the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), FADEMUR has produced a printed edition, now being distributed to towns and villages across Spain.

Through these personal accounts from rural women, FADEMUR demonstrates how rural projects can thrive, while remaining committed to environmental responsibility and community-led management. The catalogue underlines the importance of sustainable initiatives in rural areas, ensuring that economic growth leaves no one behind.

The publication also includes video features on three of the initiatives: the Asociación Rural Las Moreras in Carboso (region of Extremadura); the Lana Merimorena in Cortegana (province of Huelva); and the Obrador Fusaiola in Insua-Villalba (Galicia).

It is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the transformative role of rural women in their communities. It not only celebrates the diversity of projects taking shape across rural Spain but also demonstrates the power of innovation and sustainability in these environments.

At GRASS CEILING, we are committed to highlighting and valuing the role of women entrepreneurs, especially those who  are transforming their rural communities. A recent study (see here) by the Spanish Entrepreneurship Observatory (Observatorio de Emprendimiento de España) and Reale Seguros, focusing on women aged 18 to 45 in Spanish municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, confirms the crucial impact of this group.

A key group for rural revitalisation

The report highlights that young rural woman are an essential driving force for the development and revitalisation of less populated areas. Their entrepreneurial initiatives generate a significant economic and social impact on the local territory, offering valuable opportunities for those who wish to start businesses in rural areas.

Historically, rural women have played a fundamental role in supporting their families, combining domestic tasks with agricultural and livestock work. However, they have often been excluded from management and decision-making. This study reveals a positive change, where young rural women are taking on leadership and entrepreneurial roles.

Revealing data and opportunities

Entrepreneurial participation: Young rural women participate more in entrepreneurship than rural men but less so than urban women.

Long-term success: Young rural female entrepreneurs are more successful at consolidating long-term businesses than both urban women and rural men.

Motivation: Job scarcity is the main driver of entrepreneurship for rural and urban women, as well as for rural men.

Skills and knowledge: Nine out of ten young rural women feel capable of starting a business but this is slightly lower than among urban women and rural men.

Support networks: Four out of five young rural female entrepreneurs maintain contact with other entrepreneurs.

Opportunities and perception: Although they identify fewer opportunities than urban women, most rural women see entrepreneurship as a good career option.

Economic and social impact: More than half of young rural female entrepreneurs have employees, and two thirds plan to create more jobs. Seven out of ten prioritise social and environmental impact over profitability.

Innovation and technology: Young rural female entrepreneurs use technology at a moderate to high level, with one third innovating in products and services. Forty percent export to international markets.

Sustainability: A third of rural female entrepreneurs are aware of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and many implement measures to reduce their environmental impact.

Digital adaptation: More than half of rural female entrepreneurs have adapted their use of digital technologies during the pandemic, and many plan to increase their use in the future.

GRASS CEILING: Supporting Rural Female Entrepreneurship

At GRASS CEILING, we celebrate this data and reaffirm our commitment to continue supporting women entrepreneurs in rural areas. We believe in their potential to transform their communities and build a more prosperous and sustainable future. This study provides us with valuable information to continue working on creating opportunities and strengthening support networks for these inspiring women.

This article highlights the importance of rural female entrepreneurship and how GRASS CEILING aligns with this movement.

Images: some of the rural women entrepreneurs participating in the Spanish Living Lab of this project. Cover image: Extracted from the Spanish Entrepreneurship Observatory website.