Empowerment and Financial and Digital Training for Rural Women Entrepreneurs: A Link Between Knowledge and Territory
Project Summary: This project, promoted within the framework of the UOC Rural Network, aims to conduct an exploratory study on female entrepreneurship in rural environments, analyzing the social, cultural, and economic factors that influence their financial well-being and strategic decision-making. Through interviews and discussion groups, the goal is to delve deeper into the barriers and training opportunities in finance and digitalization to improve the available tools for these entrepreneurs and promote their autonomy and financial well-being.
Objectives:
- Identify the economic sectors and key stakeholders in female rural entrepreneurship within the rural fabric of Catalonia.
- Analyze the financial and digital training level and its influence on strategic decision-making in their businesses.
- Evaluate the impact of training policies and financial support for women entrepreneurs in rural environments.
- Contribute to developing a training plan that reduces socioeconomic inequalities and improves their financial well-being and empowerment.
Methodology:
- Development of an exploratory questionnaire to characterize the profile of rural women entrepreneurs. This questionnaire will be conducted with the associations collaborating in the project, allowing us to define our sample.
- Conducting in-depth interviews with women entrepreneurs to understand their experiences and needs within the Catalan and national rural environment.
- Discussion groups in association meetings such as Dona Món Rural and FADEMUR to confirm the exploratory study of the interviews.
Expected Results:
- Identifying key training needs for improving strategic and financial decision-making within the rural environment.
- Design of ad hoc training programs (professionalization courses or micro-credentials) for rural women entrepreneurs related to finance and digitalization to scale their businesses.
- Increased visibility and empowerment of rural women entrepreneurs by disseminating interviews in podcast format.
- Strengthening collaboration between UOC and rural world entities and associations to develop adapted training programs.
Project Details:
- Funding: Research Accelerator Rural Call from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC).
- Project Start: January 1, 2025.
- Project End: December 31, 2025.
- Principal Investigator: Silvia Rodríguez-Donaire.
- Research Group: SUMAT, UOC.
List of Collaborating Entities:
- Dona Món Rural (Catalonia)
- FADEMUR (Spain)
- Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)