The “We Grow Together” convention presents successful cases of female entrepreneurship in rural areas

More support for rural areas

• The state meeting of rural women “Crecemos Juntas-Proyecto Mentoras Rurales” presented successful entrepreneurial experiences led by rural women in order to encourage revitalization in rural areas
• A documentary premiered at the convention with four success stories of women in the fields of livestock, agriculture, textiles and fishing.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food In collaboration with Caixabank, on November 13, the organization organized the convention “Crecemos Juntas: national meeting of rural women” , where more than 150 people met to learn about and share experiences of successful cases of female entrepreneurship in rural areas.

The day was marked by two rounds of entrepreneurship , in which the protagonists themselves presented their project in a monologue, in an agile and dynamic way: how it came about, the twists and turns along the way and how they had managed to reach the proposed goal.

The rounds were interspersed with other events in which, likewise, the protagonists were rural entrepreneurs with projects of recognised prestige and scope:

• A block of entities with initiatives to support female entrepreneurship in rural areas.
• A presentation by Beatriz Sotelo, Michelin Star chef and the first woman to win the Chef of the Year 2008 competition.
• Two discussion panels : one with innovation projects for the provision of services in rural areas and another with women in management positions in the agri-food sector.

Professional development project

The meeting also served to present the results of the professional development programme “Crecemos Juntas-Proyecto Mentoras Rurales”, promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and by CaixaBank, in which women from all over the country participate.

In fact, At the end of the convention, a workshop was held so that the mentors and their “godchildren” could share the skills they had acquired over the last six months.

This programme aims to facilitate the transmission of knowledge and experiences accumulated by both parties, and to accelerate the development and professional growth of entrepreneurs. It also seeks to strengthen ties and form a network of women who are considered role models in rural areas.

Documentary

During the convention, the documentary “Crecemos Juntas” was premiered, with four stories of four women in four key socioeconomic sectors for rural development:

• Representing the livestock sector, María Montesino presents her projects for organic meat production with an eco-social perspective in Fresno del Río, Valle del Campoo (Cantabria).
• From the agricultural sector, Francisca Muñoz presents us with a company dedicated to the cultivation and harvesting of aromatic, medicinal and condimentary plants in organic production in Ossa de Montiel (Albacete).
• Ana María Santiago is a hand-loom weaver in the Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas Natural Park (Jaén), who, together with her partner and business partner, describe in the video the model of a textile business from a village.
• Carmen Agudo explains the life of a fisherwoman and owner of two boats in the Port of Gandía (Valencia).

The documentary is available at the following link .