Women are increasingly stepping into leadership roles within the agricultural sector. Data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) show that female farm managers have grown by 22% in the last decade, now accounting for 28% of all farm heads. The Comité de Agricultura Ecológica de la Comunidad Valenciana confirms that women represent 30% of certified organic producers, a rise from two years prior when women made up 26% of the sector. These trends were discussed at a forum organized by Asaja Mujeres Alicante in the town of Llíber. The gathering highlighted the core challenges ahead: safeguarding producer profitability, encouraging generational renewal, and promoting equal participation of women on farms alongside men.
Speakers at the event included Tere Antón, provincial head of the Alicante women’s sector; Pedro Valero, president of ASAJA Elche; family psychotherapist Maite Muñío; and local officials Mayor José Miguel Reus and councilor Susana Mcallister, representing Llíber City Council. Maite Muñío noted that progress toward equality and empowerment is evident, though disparities persist in salaries, leadership positions, and in balancing home, child, and dependent care.
Antón, president of Asaja Mujeres, welcomed the upward trend in women managing farms. She linked this progress to professionalization and education, citing the presence of agronomists, veterinarians, economists, business professionals, and others who are ready to take stronger, independent leadership roles and to shed longstanding taboos that have limited women for decades. The INE data reaffirm that female farm heads have increased by 22% during the past ten years and now represent 28% of the total. Ownership of farms has risen as well, with more women taking on advisory and quality-control roles in the supply chain.
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The organization emphasizes that more work remains to be done. A change in mindset is crucial—rejecting the notion that agriculture or animal husbandry is a male-dominated field. Historically, men took the lead in field work while women offered essential support in planting, harvesting, packaging, and pre-market assessments of produce. The moment has arrived to move beyond support roles and to empower women as farm leaders. Additionally, Asaja Mujeres argues that higher income and profitability in farming will attract more women entrepreneurs.
Antón also highlighted recent data from organic farming in the Valencian Community, which points to pathways for gender inclusion and generational change. The annual report from the Valencia Community Committee on Organic Agriculture shows that 30% of CAECV-certified organic producers are women, marking a significant rise from two years earlier, when women comprised 26% of participants. The rural women’s award continues to recognize the importance of female leadership in agriculture, celebrating achievements that inspire other women to pursue roles in farming or animal husbandry.
The overarching goal of the Women in Agricultural Enterprises sector is to amplify rural women’s voices, communicating their needs to society and to institutions and organizations. The sector provides information and training, encourages greater responsibility beyond the home, and supports leadership and managerial roles in associations, cooperatives, and companies. It also advocates on broader issues affecting women, including gender violence. The movement maintains a provincial structure and a presence across national borders, with representation in Brussels as well.
Collaboration with the Alicante Provincial Council helped advance the conference and its aims, reinforcing the commitment to women’s leadership across the agricultural landscape.