Gender mainstreaming in the Rural Development Programme (RDP) of Castilla y Leon

The objective of the study is to analyse, within the support aimed at improving the competitiveness of farms, and in particular the support under the investment support measures (M4.1, FA 2A) and support for the incorporation of young people (M6.1, FA 2B), the differential characteristics of the beneficiaries according to sex. Additionally, it intends to analyse to what extent the programme proposes positive discrimination against women and how this positive discrimination has varied over the years of implementation.

In the first part of the report, a characterisation of men and women beneficiaries of support for investment on farms and for the incorporation of young farmers is presented, based on data from the paying agency’s database (ORPA) and the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN). In the second part of the report, a comprehensive analysis of the selection criteria and characteristics of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) support is done, focusing on gender discrimination, together with an analysis of ORPA variables disaggregated by sex.

90% of the beneficiaries receiving investment support M4.1 (2A) are men, compared with 10% women. The volume of investment per file and the average public expenditure are, respectively, 13% and 10% higher for women’s farms, while the largest farm sizes belong to male beneficiaries, with 80.5% of the files corresponding to farms over 50 hectares, compared to 68% of women’s farms. The most frequent type of investment is in machinery, especially for men (64%, compared to 47% women’s files), followed by facilities and buildings. Regarding the agricultural sector, large-scale crops predominate, accounting for 62.1 per cent of men's farms and 50.3 per cent of women’s farms. In second place, there is grazing livestock. In terms of age, the share of beneficiaries under 40 is higher among women (71%), with almost half of the beneficiaries concentrated in the 30-40 year range. Men are more evenly distributed among the ranks between 30 and 50 years old.

In the case of support for the incorporation of young farmers (M6.1), 27% are women. Both the average public expenditure and the average investment per file are again higher when the beneficiaries are women. Also in this case, men have larger farms, with 63.1% of farms exceeding 50 ha, compared to 58.1% of women’s farms. There is a higher share of files aimed at access to shared ownership of the farm among women (22%) than among men (1.4%), who mainly access the exclusive ownership of their farms (74%). Regarding the agricultural sector, large crops again predominate, accounting for 40% of men’s files and 31% of women’s, followed by grazing livestock (29% and 30%, respectively). In terms of age, male beneficiaries are more homogeneously distributed across all ages, between 19 and 41 years, while women who apply for this type of support are predominantly in the 30-40 year range.

When combining investment support (M4.1) with support to the incorporation of young farmers (M6.1), both average public expenditure and the average investment per file are higher than on farms with only one of the two types of support. 49% of men and 63.9% of women receiving measure 4.1 support also receive start-up support for young farmers. The higher percentage for women can be partly explained by the higher share of under-40s in female beneficiaries of measure M4.1. On the other hand, 24.7% of men and 10.2% of women receiving support for setting up young farmers also receive support for farm investment.

The characteristics and needs of rural women, as well as their roles in their communities, are increasingly being documented and considered in strategies at the national and regional levels. The RDP has been including selection criteria in its calls with the aim of positively discriminating against women. The main aspects covered by these selection criteria are: the fact that the applicant for support is a woman, shared ownership, the share of women in the members of the applicant company, the share of female employment created or maintained and training actions on gender equality. For measure M6.1, the increase in points in the selection criteria is directly related to the increase in the support intensity in women’s files, compared to men. LEADER (Measure 19.2) has the particularity of having a set of common criteria (where projects creating or maintaining female employment are prioritised), but also specific to each LDS, where several LAGs have included additional criteria of positive discrimination towards women. As a result, 42.4% of the jobs created through measure 19.2 and 32.1% of maintained jobs are occupied by women. Overall, LEADER contributes to promoting the feminisation of work in rural areas. In addition to the selection criteria, the effort made at the level of the RDP-Castilla y Leon to achieve a monitoring system that allows analysis with a gender focus must be highlighted.