More of the pie

With colourful ribbons on their lapels, the rural women in Hall 3.2 are showing their solidarity with the UN Year of Women in Agriculture (LINK https://www.fao.org/woman-farmer-2026/home/en). Petra Bentkämper, President of the German Country Women's Association (dlv), is pleased that the topic is being brought to the fore. This is because the public often reduces the commitment of country women to baking cakes and tying harvest crowns. However, the dlv is particularly committed to the political interests of its members. One of its slogans at Grüne Woche is therefore ‘Our cake is political’.

To stay with the metaphor: rural women want a bigger slice of the pie. ‘Although many are actively involved in the business and participate in strategic decisions, this is not reflected in the ownership structure,’ says Petra Bentkämper. When a marriage ends, women are often the losers, for example in terms of pension provision. To change this, more personal responsibility is needed, but the issue also needs to be addressed in higher education and training. Advisory structures need to be created that are tailored to the needs of women in rural areas, supporting them in matters of pension provision, but also in taking the step towards self-employment. Petra Bentkämper also calls for more women to be involved in key political committees.

Broad alliance

She has the support of Christophe Hansen, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. In his first year in office, he visited all 27 member states – and spoke to many women in the process. Although women make up 40 per cent of the agricultural workforce, most farms are run by men. Women find it more difficult to obtain financing and are more affected by poor infrastructure in rural areas, such as a lack of childcare facilities.

‘We want to achieve greater visibility for women in agriculture,’ emphasises Parliamentary State Secretary Martina Englhardt-Kopf. Her Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (BMLEH) will support the UN initiative with events in 2026, together with the signatory associations, including here at Grüne Woche.

For Petra Bentkämper, Grüne Woche marks the start of the UN Year of Women in Agriculture. Together with Brandenburg's Minister of Agriculture Hanka Mittelstädt, she has recorded a podcast (LINK https://www.podcast.de/episode/698646936/rueckgrat-der-hoefe-aber-unsichtbar-wie-eine-geschlechtergerechte-landwirtschaft-aussieht ) about the current challenges. ‘The hope is that by the end of the year, we will have established an alliance that will continue to address this issue.’