The event “Women who nourish Romania”, dedicated to women farmers, took place on October 20 in Bucharest. A special event, in a special year: the International Year of the Woman Farmer. LTO Vrouw en Bedrijf, through its president Helma Vermuë, gave a Dutch touch to this important event, perfectly organised by its Romanian younger counterpart-organisation: ANFA, the National Association of Women in Agriculture.
Women who nourish Romania
October 20 was a special day, in a special year: 2026 - the International Day of the Woman Farmer. On this day, the event “Women who nourish Romania” was organised by ANFA (the National Association of Women in Agriculture) with the support of Bayer Romania as well as the institutional support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Romania. Farm visits were also organised, especially for the foreign guests attending the event. This allowed a better understanding of the work and life of those strong women out there who decided, at a certain moment, that agriculture must become part of their lives.
Leadership, high on the agenda
The event of 20 October gathered women involved in all aspects of agriculture: farmers, related agribusinesses, public institutions, research, mass-media. This occasion was the perfect platform to announce the launching of the training programme of ANFA & Bayer, which will take place next year. Designed to meet the needs of the ANFA community, the training will combine the development of leadership and communication skills with more specific technical issues.
The Dutch touch
Invited as keynote speaker, Helma Vermuë, chair of LTO Noord Vrouw en Bedrijf and representative of Dutch women farmers in Copa-Cogeca, brought her experience and perspective into the gathering, describing her multi-faceted role in her family, her farm, her community and within LTO – representing now women farmers both at national and European level. Lots of lessons learnt, positive or challenging, were all worth sharing with Romanian colleagues. Despite distances, borders, and local circumstances the general conclusion was that the topics high on the women farmers’ agendas are broadly speaking quite similar. An additional reason to continue exchanging experiences and ideas. Particularly in the area of education, mentoring and training. Because, as Helma said: “when women invest in themselves, they invest at the same time in their families, their farms and their communities”.
A panel rich of insightful experiences
The gathering ended with a panel discussion with an interesting mix of participants and their equally interesting stories: besides Helma Vermuë, the panel reunited Jennifer Gilberg - Country Division Head Crop Science for Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova, the two strong lady-executives of the FAPPR farmers’ organisation - Alina Cretu and Cristina Cionga, ANFA president and professional farmer Iulia Blagu, young and determined Romanian farmer Alina Filip, and, last but certainly not least, the inspiring Dutch dairy farmer Judith de Vor (part of the Global Farmer Network). Also nice to mention the presence and salute of Mariana Pîslaru, Vice President of Moldova Fruct Association – the powerful fruit growers association of the Republic of Moldova.
Women farmer event group photo
Full stop? No.
This year many events and activities have taken place related to the topic of women & agriculture. They should certainly continue beyond the 2026 Year of the Woman Farmer. Much has been done but much remains to be done to make the voice of women farmers stronger and better heard. Events like this, bigger or smaller, can certainly contribute to this goal. With insightful and powerful stories as well as very concrete plans for future development and empowerment. On October 20, 2026 the voice of women farmers was heard in Romania. We are proud to have had a small contribution to it.
More information
For more information, you can reach out to the Netherlands Agricultural Network in Romania via: bkr-lvvn@minbuza.nl