Rasa Prusakova: “advisory services to support women farmers are needed”
Rasa Prusakova, a farmer in the Šiauliai region of Lithuania, has managed her small farm with creativity and dedication, turning it into an example of sustainable agriculture. Her approach combines technological innovation and a passion for overcoming the challenges of rural life.
Managing a small farm poses significant challenges, mainly when no additional employees exist. Rasa highlights the difficulty of juggling multiple responsibilities, such as caring for children, planting crops and organising sales. “Tackling everything is not easy for one person,” she explains. She emphasises the importance of advisory services to support farmers (especially women) from the very beginning, for whom a clear and practical plan can be crucial in ensuring the success and sustainability of their ventures.
Despite managing a small farm, Rasa has made innovation her main ally. She consistently strives to incorporate the latest solutions at every stage of the farming process, from seeding to harvesting. “As this is a small farm and our labour force is limited, it is essential to embark on innovation. Every time, we look for the newest solutions that could be applied on our farm, from seeding to weeding and harvesting.”
However, her journey has not been without its challenges. These include barriers to entrepreneurship in rural communities due to an ageing population and, at times, a lack of interest in improvement; operating within an individualistic social context that doesn’t always foster synergies through cooperatives or associations; excessive bureaucracy that reduces the time available for productive activities; the difficulty for traditional family businesses to compete with large multinational corporations; a scarcity of sufficient incentives for medium- and long-term investments, coupled with high taxation; and a lack of qualified personnel for jobs related to agriculture and tourism.
Given the lack of technological suppliers in the Lithuanian market, Rasa often imports equipment from countries such as France, Germany, or the United States, which allows her to reduce manual labour and optimise resources. Additionally, her commitment to sustainability is evident in her use of solar panels to power the farm—a tangible example of integrating eco-friendly practices into daily operations.
What Rasa enjoys the most is interacting with people. She is passionate about selling her products at the local market and receiving positive customer feedback. This connection with the community reinforces her motivation to keep going and gives her a clear purpose: producing food that people expect and need. Here is where Rasa finds the most challenging part of her work. “We would love to know what products will be in demand a season before planting them so we can plan ahead. There’s a disconnection between production and sales—some products are requested too late to plant, while others that we grow are difficult to sell. We’d greatly appreciate guidance in this area”.
When asked what advice she would give other women looking to start a business, Rasa is clear: don’t be afraid. She recommends careful planning followed by decisive action, showing that even in a demanding environment like farming, finding opportunities to innovate, thrive, and create a positive impact is possible.
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