On October 15, 2024, in celebration of International Rural Women’s Day, the Albanian Network for Rural Development and its member organizations engaged in rural women empowerment and gender equality in agriculture and rural areas, successfully organized the sixth “Pro-Rural Women” event at the premises of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The International Day of Women engaged in the agriculture and rural development shed light on their challenges and discussed the imediate steps for their social and economic empowerment. This event brought together over 80 participants, including women and girls from rural communities in Diber, Erseke, Elbasan, Puke, Shkoder, Durres, and other rural areas. Public institutions and civil society representatives, as well as other stakeholders involved in rural development discussed the challenges hindering women productivity in the agri-food sector.
The event was opened by Ms. Majlinda Hoxha, General Secretary of the ANRD. Among other things, she said, “Today, our focus is on the well-being of women and girls in rural communities. Recognizing the challenges and finding practical solutions for them is the first step to advancing the dialogue with the policy-making structures, thus facilitating the addressing of these challenges.”
Ms. Anila Denaj, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, emphasized the importance of economic empowerment for women in the agro-food sector by increasibg access to support schemes and encouraging cooperation among women entrepreneurs. ““Pro Rural Women not only gathered us at this event, but also provided a platform for discussions and concrete actions to bring direct financial support to women in the agricultural sector. National agricultural schemes should give more consideration to female entrepreneurs. Orientation to collaboration among stakeholders is a crucial step in addressing economic challenges and enabling their products to be recognized in both national and international markets.”
Zheni Gjergji, Chairwomen of the Parliamentary Commision for Labour, Social Affairs and Health, appreciated the dedication of civil society organizations in improving the well-being of women in rural areas and highlighted the challenges they face: “Women and girls in rural areas face several challenges such as limited access to education and healthcare, lack of transportation, clean drinking water, and access to and ownership of productive and financial resources. In our country, 55% of the persons engaged in agriculture are women, but only 7% of them are farm owners. It is essential to integrate women from rural areas into the workforce and enhance their entrepreneurial skills. In this regard, local governance and structures must play a crucial role in the economic empowerment of women.”
During the discussions, the participants emphasized the importance of having better access to training, increased capacity, and financial resources to achieve economic empowerment. The women’s group ‘Duarartat e Leskovik’ is involved in producing and selling traditional winter foods. “Thanks to the support of FAO, we have access to the ‘Duarartat e Leskovik’ incubator equipped with modern technology and infrastructure. However, we still need assistance to improve our presence in the market and increase our income,” said Majlinda Mehmeti, Director of the “Duarartat e Leskovik” incubator.
The discussion on the social and economic situation of women and girls in the agro-food sector highlighted the importance of social and health insurance. Although the social insurance scheme offers low contributions fees for self-employed women in agriculture due to state subsidies, it is still inadequate for the sector’s challenges. The scheme does not consider the difficulty of paying contributions during years of low agricultural income. Additionally, the requirement of land ownership for inclusion in the scheme excludes farmers, especially women and girls in agriculture, who do not have land ownership documents due to unfinished land reform, live in mountainous areas without land ownership, or are livestock farmers without land but with cattle. In these cases, inclusion in the scheme should be based on the farmer’s active NIPT rather than land ownership.
A very special moment of the event was the presentation of the “Liljana Isakaj” award for Leadership in Empowering Women in Rural Areas- an initiative dedicated to honoring the exceptional legacy of Mrs Liljana Isakaj who devoted her life to rural development and the economic empowerment of rural women. As an epitome for rural women, Liljana paved the way for progress, leadership, and positive change within rural communities. Participants had the opportunity to learn about Liljana’s work and contribution through a video prepared with memories shared by Liljana’s friends and colleagues. Her legacy is vibrant, rich and inspiring.
The Albanian Network for Rural Development and Adad Malore, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, have established a committee for the “Liljana Isakaj” award for Leadership in the Empowerment of Women in Rural Areas. This year award was given to Ms. Marie Frroku from Gjegjan, Puke, who leads the Women’s Group of Gjegjan. For over 20 years, Marie has been dedicated to empowering rural women in Puke by fighting gender stereotypes and engaging them in economic activities. With Marie and future award winners, we aim to create a meaningful legacy that promotes the ongoing development and progress of Albanian rural communities.
The event ended with the fair of local products produced by each group of women participating in the event.
The sixth edition of Pro-Women Rural provided an opportunity for representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Social Insurance Institute, local and central government institutions, human rights organizations, and other stakeholders to learn about the important role of women engaged in agriculture, rural development, and nature sustaining for the future. Additionally, rural women from Dibra, Puka, Kolonja, Korça, Elbasan, and Durrës will strengthen their voices through a joint declaration which will be sent to relevant institutions, highlighting the needs, challenges, and aspirations for their economic empowerment in the agro-food sector.
