Women managed 6.5% of Cyprus’ agricultural area in 2023, Eurostat reports

Nicosia, Cyprus. Women were responsible for managing 6.5 per cent of the utilised agricultural area in Cyprus in 2023, according to Eurostat data released on Thursday. The share was substantially below the EU average, which stood at 17.5 per cent, placing Cyprus among the bloc’s lower-ranking countries.

Regional differences across the EU

Eurostat’s analysis covered 241 regions, of which 55.6 per cent had proportions below the EU average. The regions fall within NUTS 2, the second level of the EU’s Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, a classification that enables regional statistical comparisons between member states.

Upper Austria had the largest proportion of agricultural land under female management, at 42.5 per cent, representing approximately 211,600 hectares. The smallest proportion was in Friesland in the Netherlands, at 2.7 per cent, or around 6,000 hectares.

The figures showed that just 25 regions reached or exceeded 28.5 per cent. Italy accounted for 11 of those regions, Greece and Austria for four each, and Spain for three.

At the opposite end, the proportion was under 5 per cent in 12 EU regions. These comprised 10 of the 12 Dutch regions, Finland’s Åland, where the figure was 3.6 per cent, and Southern Denmark, at 4.9 per cent.

Farm size and participation

Eurostat said farms run by women were generally relatively small. It noted that generational renewal could progressively expand women’s involvement in larger farming businesses with a stronger commercial focus.

In Cyprus, women in farming still encounter difficulties concerning gender equality, access to childcare and living conditions in rural areas.