This week, the Bio-LUSH project joined the first meeting of the Rural Pact Community Group on Women in Rural Areas, bringing together stakeholders, EU initiatives, policymakers, researchers, and rural actors working to strengthen the visibility, inclusion, and opportunities of women across rural Europe.
This Community Group, coordinated under the EU’s Rural Pact and building on the momentum of the Horizon project GRASS Ceiling and its European Policy Forum, exists precisely to correct that gap.
Community Group, coordinated under the European Rural Pact framework, aims to create a dedicated space for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and policy dialogue focused on the realities, challenges, and opportunities faced by women in rural areas. Discussions during the first meeting highlighted themes ranging from female entrepreneurship and access to land, to ageing populations, social isolation, care work, and the persistent underrepresentation of women in rural decision-making structures.
The need for these discussions is significant. Women represent nearly half of the rural population in the European Union, yet they remain considerably underrepresented in agricultural ownership and leadership positions. According to European Commission and Eurostat data, women manage only around 30% of farms in the EU, while rural women also face lower employment rates, reduced access to financing, and fewer entrepreneurship opportunities compared to urban areas. At the same time, many rural regions continue to experience female outmigration, especially among younger generations searching for education, work opportunities, and long-term stability elsewhere.
Stronger visibility and stronger voices for rural women must shape EU policy discussions, including the post-2027 CAP and NRPP negotiations.
The Bio-LUSH project supports the transition toward a circular and sustainable bioeconomy through approaches that can create additional opportunities for rural communities located close to biomass resources and production areas. One of the project’s objectives is to explore the valorisation of underutilised biomass streams such as hemp hurd, nettle, forestry residues, and other locally available resources closer to where they are cultivated, sourced, or generated.
Such approaches may contribute to the development of local and regional bio-based value chains by creating opportunities for women entrepreneurs, small producers, cooperatives, and local innovators to participate beyond primary raw material production. The development of local biomass processing capacities, fibre valorisation routes, and bio-based product ecosystems has the potential to support new business models, diversify rural income streams, strengthen regional resilience, and contribute to broader European sustainability and circular bioeconomy objectives.
Participation in the Rural Pact Community Group on Women in Rural Areas also provides Bio-LUSH with an opportunity to contribute to wider European discussions related to rural innovation, inclusion, and policy development. Through its dissemination materials, stakeholder engagement activities, and collaboration with biomass producers, researchers, industry actors, and rural stakeholders across Europe, the project can contribute knowledge and practical examples relevant to emerging rural bioeconomy opportunities. At the same time, participation enables exchange with other initiatives and supports dialogue around more inclusive and accessible rural innovation ecosystems.
The Rural Pact currently gathers more than 4,100 members across Europe and includes 13 thematic Community Groups addressing different aspects of rural development, including youth, social economy, mobility, smart villages, and women in rural areas. Through this network, the Community Group on Women in Rural Areas aims to strengthen dialogue with EU institutions, support peer learning and collaboration, share good practices, and contribute to future policy discussions connected to rural development and post-2027 agricultural and rural frameworks.
