Happy International Women’s Day
EU-FarmBook and the FLIARA Project support women-led innovations in agriculture and rural areas by showcasing inspiring success stories of female innovators and entrepreneurs across Europe. Gender equality in agriculture is a key driver for a sustainable future.
International Women’s Day serves as an annual reminder of the importance of promoting equality in all areas of life —including, and especially, in agriculture and rural communities. While women play a crucial role in these sectors, they often face significant challenges in a traditionally male-dominated environment. The European Commission actively supports the empowerment of women in agriculture and funds projects that advance gender equality in rural areas.
One such initiative is FLIARA—Female-Led Innovation in Agriculture and Rural Areas—which aims to increase visibility and recognition for women-driven innovations. A sustainable and future-oriented agricultural sector can only be achieved if women are equally involved in shaping it. As part of the project, researchers examine innovations developed and led by women, engaging in conversations with the innovators themselves. Through interviews, these women share how they developed their ideas and brought them to life. “We want to understand who supported them and what challenges they had to overcome,” explains project member Felicia van Tulder. These case studies help identify patterns and generate recommendations on how to better support women in the future.
“We have met many inspiring women with fantastic ideas” says van Tulder. One entrepreneur stood out to her — Sarah Khoudja. Khoudja came up with the idea of repurposing old olive nets to produce fruit and vegetable nets. She implemented her idea in Cilento, an area marked by vast nature reserves in in southern Italy. Here olive nets are typically discarded as waste. By giving them a second life, her initiative serves a practical purpose and contributes to sustainability in the region. Additionally, through her project, Sara ensures employment opportunities for local women and actively supports them in achieving financial independence. Learn more about her innovation here.
“With our case studies, we want to inspire women in agriculture to follow their own ideas and drive their projects forward successfully. We also aim to make their contributions more visible and widely recognized,” emphasizes Felicia van Tulder. In addition to her work with FLIARA van Tulders serves as an ambassador for EU-FarmBook and is a key contact for German research and innovation projects.
EU-FarmBook plays a vital role in promoting gender equality and empowering women by providing a central platform for insights from projects like FLIARA. Women bring unique perspectives and innovations to agriculture and are often at the forefront of implementing sustainable practices that benefit the environment and biodiversity. “We are proud to welcome projects like FLIARA as contributors of valuable results,” says Inge De Bo, Scientific Coordinator of EU-FarmBook. The results are made accessible through EU-FarmBook, reaching a broad audience and practitioners facing similar challenges as the pioneering women before them.
In January, De Bo participated in the FLIARA Community of Practice meeting in Italy, which brought together over 70 participants from across Europe — including researchers, policymakers, rural innovators, and representatives from agricultural and community organizations. Discussions focused on the role of women in driving rural sustainability and agricultural innovation.
“This event, with field visits in the Calabria region, provided valuable insights into FLIARA’s goals—particularly the importance of sharing success stories of women leading innovation in rural communities,” says De Bo.
These success stories and innovation journeys will be available on the EU-FarmBook platform this spring as a collection of fact sheets on women-led innovations. By uploading and properly annotating each fact sheet, EU-FarmBook ensures greater visibility and accessibility for these initiatives across Europe.
Here’s a sneak peek at the first fact sheet already available on EU-FarmBook.
