FAO.org

In 2009, there were 674.876 rural enterprises in Greece. 669.965 have active rural land in their possession. The total rural land of those enterprises is 3.302.100 hectares. 61, 8% of the land belongs to the farmers, 35,7% is rented, 0,3 is joint partnership and 2,3% represents other forms of possession. 79, 2% (534.322 enterprises and 1863.500 hectares) of the enterprises are of agricultural nature, 2,3% (15.524 enterprises and 131.300 hectares) are stock farms and 18,5% (125.030 enterprises and 1.307.300 hectares) are of joint nature. 276.508 enterprises (1.546.400 hectares) deal with yearly crops, 122.814 enterprises (81.000 hectares) deal with vineyards and raisin crops, 482.340 enterprises (803.700 hectares) make their living from trees and 248.191 enterprises (870.900 hectares) make their living by various other plants.  15.932 of the stock farms have cows (622.766 animals), 87.548 stock farms have sheep (8.749.175 animals), 67.548 stock farms have goats (4.018.037 animals) and 18.305 stock farms breed pigs (915.198 animals).

In 2009, 1.112.373 members of the rural families worked in 674.302 rural enterprises. 16.042 enterprises employed 24.715 permanent workers and 280.575 rural enterprises employed 910.197 seasonal workers. In those 1.112.373 rural enterprises, 817.823 owners and members of the rural family work exclusively in the family business, 34.085 more work mainly in the family business and 260.465 people deal with the family business as a side job. 12,4% of the Greek population in 2011 found employment in the rural sector.

In 2012, rural production rose to the value of 9.780,5 millions € (28,3% was the stock farms’ contribution and 71,7 % came from plant crops) and exports of rural products gathered 6 billion €. In 2011, rural sector’s contribution to the GDP was 2,5%., while 17,5% of Greece’s exports that year came from the rural sector.

Total employment in the marine capture fisheries sector amounted to about 36000 persons in 2012 and 2013 (with about 6 000 operating on deep sea vessels, and 30000 on coastal vessels). Most of these coastal vessels owned by one fisherman which usually are the only ones contributing to their family income, having also some other members of their family as assistants, working actually as family enterprises.

In 2011, 12,7% of women were mainly employed in the rural sector . Nevertheless, only 29 % of rural enterprises owners were women (2009) and only 23,7 % of the holding managers were women. While 350.000 people are registered as husbands/wives to owners of rural enterprises, 71% of them are women. In 2011, 27% of rural women were at risk of poverty.

Women in agriculture are by average older than men (only 16% of them are below the age of 35). While 23% of the men holding managers have some kind of education (official or vocational), only 12% of women holding managers can say the same.
64% of the utilized agricultural area (UAA) belongs to men while only 12% of it belongs to women. 3,6 hectares is the average size of a woman’s UAA while it’s 11,6 hectares for men.
 
Women’s labor in the family business is often unpaid and therefore unrecognized, and that’s also an obstacle to her access to her own social security benefits and working security. Even when she’s titular owner, women have limited access to ownership and therefore to the decision’s making process. There is also discrimination against rural women, based on obstinate stereotypes and prejudices.

The priorities regarding rural policies for the immediate future are: 1) Promoting transfer of knowledge and innovation in rural sector, forestry and rural areas, 2) Strengthening competitiveness of all types of agriculture and of the viability of rural enterprises 3) Promoting the organization of food chain and of risk management in agriculture 4) Restoration, preservation and strengthening of all ecosystems dependable on agriculture and forestry 5) Promoting resources’ capacity and supporting the tendencies for an economy of low carbon emissions, durable to the climate changes in the sectors of agriculture, food chain and forestry.

This text is kindly provided by the authorities of this country