From Seeds of Innovation to Voices of Change: Rural Women Shaping Romania’s Future
For one day, the village of Saschiz became a space of solidarity and collective action, where the voices of rural women turned into political vision and collective claim-making. The event “From Innovation to Political Action – The Voice of Rural Women”, took place on October 30, organised within the European project FLIARA (Female-Led Innovation in Agriculture and Rural Areas), brought together innovative rural women from across Romania, representatives of public administration, civil society organisations, and members of the Romanian Parliament for a dialogue on shaping a more sustainable and inclusive rural future.
Bridging Communities and Institutions
The event opened with interventions from Alina Gorghiu, President of the Joint Parliamentary Committee “Romania Without Domestic Violence”, and Andrea Csép, Member of Parliament for Mureș County and Vice-President of the same committee. Both underlined the link between gender-based violence and the exclusion of women from economic and political life in rural areas, and the urgent need for protection, concrete support, and economic independence.
“The fight against domestic violence is not a private matter, but one of public safety. Rural women must not be left alone in front of the system – they need protection, concrete support, and, above all, economic independence. Without civil society and without solidarity, transformation remains only a wish,” stressed Alina Gorghiu, highlighting recent legislative efforts in Parliament to increase penalties for violating protection orders, to support the employment of survivors, and to recognise femicide as a distinct crime.
“Violence exists every day, and we can no longer pretend not to see it. Change can be built from communities – through networks of women who support and learn from each other. Equal opportunities must also reach rural areas – women are not competitors, they are partners. Real transformation is born from trust and solidarity,” added Andrea Csép, calling for stronger cooperation between institutions and community initiatives.
Their participation anchored the dialogue institutionally and politically, confirming that the issues raised by rural women – from access to resources and social recognition to safety, autonomy, and decision-making power – belong firmly on the national political agenda. The presence of ECOLISE Co-President Claudian Doboș further highlighted the strong link between local initiatives in Romania and the European vision promoted through FLIARA, where community-led innovation and women’s leadership are recognised as key drivers of sustainable change.
From Local Initiatives to Public Policy
The critical framing of these discussions was offered by Laura Albu, gender equality expert and FLIARA innovator, President of the Center for Mediation and Community Security, and member of the European Economic and Social Committee, who emphasised the need for systemic and strategic investment in women’s empowerment:
“We need a national programme for civic education and women’s leadership in rural and disadvantaged communities, with pilot projects and intergenerational mentoring. Without a consistent investment in women, in women’s associations and cooperatives working at the grassroots level, we will never achieve genuine development or a sustainable life in rural Romania,” she stated.
Following this, Anastasia Oprea, researcher and FLIARA Project Manager at ECOLISE, presented the national findings of the FLIARA project for Romania and the policy recommendations developed through consultations with rural women innovators.
The discussion continued with the roundtable “From Local Initiatives to National Policies”, moderated by Laura Incze from ELARD Knowledge Hub, bringing together representatives from administration, research, and grassroots movements, including Laura Albu, Beatrice Zaharescu (National Rural Network – Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), Adela Alexandru (FILIA Center), and Anca Marcu, the first woman mayor of Cojocna and FLIARA Ambassador.
The roundtable outlined a common direction, the creation of a national network of rural women, capable of connecting local experiences with public policy and building long-term infrastructures of care and solidarity.
Women Innovators at the Heart of Transformation
At the heart of the Saschiz event were the FLIARA women innovators – peasants, entrepreneurs, activists, and women involved in local politics who have co-created knowledge and policy within the FLIARA project in Romania. Their work embodies the project’s core vision: that sustainable rural innovation emerges from cooperation, care, and shared local knowledge.Through ECOLISE’s coordination of FLIARA’s Community of Practice, insights from Romanian innovators feed directly into the project’s European-level analysis and policy dialogue.
Among those present were Stela Zamoiu, a FLIARA innovator and seed saver whose work safeguards biodiversity and peasant agriculture; Laura Albu, gender expert, President of the Center for Mediation and Community Security, member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), and also a FLIARA innovator, whose intervention connected grassroots realities with policy frameworks for gender equality; and Florentina Călugăr, host of the event and representative of women’s associations in Saschiz, who shared how local women’s groups are reclaiming visibility and agency within their communities.
The FLIARA Ambassador Anca Marcu, the first female mayor of Cojocna, brought a deeply personal dimension to the dialogue. “Leadership can grow from the roots of the community and translate into public action,” she said, reflecting on her journey from local organising to political leadership — a story that inspired participants through its honesty and courage.
The FLIARA Ambassador, Patricia Toma, was represented through photographs shown in the presentation of FLIARA’s results. Her symbolic presence highlighted the importance of visibility and continuity in women’s stories of transformation, linking her contribution within FLIARA to the broader collective process of change fostered by the project.
We also extend our gratitude to all FLIARA Romania women innovators who contributed to the project’s research and co-creation process, and to the development of the national policy recommendations presented in Saschiz (some not present at the event): Alina Zlati, Andrea Tasnádi, Brîndușa Birhală, Gabriela Cotaru, Ioana Pop Manta, Patricia Toma, Stela Zamoiu, Laura Albu, Florentina Călugăr, and Anca Marcu. Their experiences and knowledge have been essential in shaping FLIARA’s understanding of women-led innovation in rural Romania and in translating it into actionable policy directions.
Together, these women represent the living network that FLIARA has helped to weave across Romania – one that connects individual agency with collective structures, and transforms everyday rural practices into pathways for sustainability, inclusion, equality, and political voice.
A Contemporary Șezătoare
The day concluded in an atmosphere of connection and mutual trust – a contemporary șezătoare (women’s circle) where participants shared experiences, challenges, and visions for the future.
“What we began in Saschiz continues through networks, alliances, and shared projects. The future of rural Romania is written with women — through solidarity, care, and the courage to turn personal experience into collective action,” concluded Anastasia Oprea, researcher and FLIARA Project Manager at ECOLISE.
Co-organiser Laura Incze, FLIARA Project Manager at ELARD Knowledge Hub, added:
“When we bring research, practice, and policymaking together, real and impactful solutions emerge. We ended the day in a circle — like a contemporary șezătoare, where collaboration, care, and solidarity become natural. It is a way of working together, empowering each other, and learning collectively.”
The relationships forged through FLIARA Romania are only the beginning – they are becoming the human infrastructure for a national network of rural women in Romania, capable of shaping new forms of cooperation and political participation.This process embodies ECOLISE’s ongoing advocacy for community-led approaches to sustainability, where local knowledge and collective leadership drive systemic change.
Organisers and Partners
The event was organised by ECOLISE and ELARD Knowledge Hub within the Horizon Europe project FLIARA – Female-Led Innovation in Agriculture and Rural Areas, with the support of the Center for Mediation and Community Security, and local partners GAL Dealurile Târnavelor, Vecinătatea Femeilor din Saschiz, being hosted at the HubONG Saschiz.
