García Tejerina extols the role of women as key for the future of rural areas

Minister of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Isabel García Tejerina, stressed the important role of women as key future for rural areas. On the occasion of her speech at the opening of the conference “Spain in women. Women in rural areas”, organized by the ABC newspaper on the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women, García Tejerina has been worth the presence of women in the field, their ability to adapt to new circumstances and creativity.

The minister has referred to the food sector, which represents 10% of the value of goods and services produced in Spain, as “the backbone of the rural environment that continues to earn credit in the world and makes Spain a benchmark for the quality of their food. ” As mentioned, at the base of the Spanish food industry it is “the good work of men and women producing high quality food.”

For García Tejerina, women contributes decisively to the maintenance and preservation of peoples and traditional ways of life style, as well as the incorporation of formulas of progress that serve to improve and give future

As highlighted by the minister, one of the main priorities of the European Union has been to ensure equal opportunities between men and women. A principle that has been reflected in the rural development policy in Spain, whose implementation rules recognize that the full participation of women is essential to achieve the best use of the capabilities of those living in rural areas, life-sustaining peoples and give greater impetus to local economies.

Thus, García Tejerina has indicated that the Ministry of Agriculture works to rural areas is a place of opportunities for professional development of women, with very diverse as training programs and promotion of women or awards such as “Award Excelence Innovation for rural women”.

Plan for the Promotion of Rural Women

Looking ahead, the Minister has warned that more work needs to be done to ensure the indispensable presence of women both in the work of the countryside and the sea, and in the development of projects that diversify agricultural or fishing activities.

For this it has had funding for rural development (EAFRD) and the fisheries (European Maritime and Fisheries Fund), co-financed with national funds of the State and the autonomous communities. The result of this, added García Tejerina, is the adoption a year ago, of the Plan for the Promotion of Rural Women 2015-2018 does now, the first to be specifically made for rural women and grouping actions from six ministries.

This Plan contains more than 80 measures to promote the visibility of rural women, their participation in decision-making bodies and entrepreneurship, and support to associations of rural women

Source: MAGRAMA