Cyprus expands support for rural women’s access to funding and business opportunities

Kyperounta, Cyprus. Cyprus is intensifying work to help rural women obtain financing, use technology and pursue business opportunities, Gender Equality Commissioner Josie Christodoulou said on Wednesday. Addressing a conference in Kyperounta, she outlined training initiatives and government measures intended to bolster their financial independence.

Digital training and entrepreneurship

Christodoulou said 228 women from rural communities had gained digital skills during 2025 and 2026 through programmes organised jointly with the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, the Agriculture Ministry and other bodies.

She explained that the training aims to enable women to market their products through technology, broaden their professional contacts and grow their businesses.

Another 85 women had attended seminars on agricultural entrepreneurship in communities including Agros, Kakopetria, Ayios Theodoros in Larnaca and Kornos, according to the commissioner.

Christodoulou cautioned that training would not be enough without opportunities for women to transform their ideas and knowledge into sustainable enterprises, obtain funding and be paid fairly for their work.

Obstacles to economic participation

At the conference, entitled “Women in rural areas: challenges and opportunities”, Christodoulou said women had historically made significant contributions to agriculture, livestock farming, family-run enterprises and agritourism, but their work had not always been adequately recognised.

She said restricted access to infrastructure, services, funding and professional contacts, together with family duties, still constrained women’s ability to start businesses, advance professionally and take part in decision-making.

Those obstacles also had consequences for the broader economic prospects of rural communities, she warned.

Government policy and care provision

Christodoulou highlighted government action to integrate gender equality into policymaking and the planning of public budgets as part of efforts to address these difficulties.

She also pointed to tax relief, longer maternity and parental leave, wider preschool provision and improvements to childcare and care for older people. Digital skills and entrepreneurship were receiving particular attention, she said.