MIONICA, 24 September 2026 – Empowering rural women is an important driver of local economic development, and their contribution extends beyond individual households, contributing to the development of entire communities, it was stated today in the village of Rajković near Mionica, where six years of the Women’s Market were celebrated.
The Women’s Market is an online platform that brings together agricultural producers from the Kolubara District and enables them to sell their products directly to customers, with home delivery. Launched during the COVID-19 pandemic in response to difficult conditions for selling agricultural products, over the past six years the platform has grown into a sustainable model for supporting the economic empowerment of rural women.
The event at the Joksimović family farm in Rajković was attended by representatives of international organizations, development partners, local government and civil society organizations, as well as women who sell their products through the Women’s Market.
“The Women’s Market has grown from an initiative launched during a time of crisis into a sustainable model for women’s economic independence. Empowering rural women is also an opportunity for the sustainable development of rural communities,” said Gorana Radovanović, Team Leader of the ACT programme at Helvetas Serbia, which supports women’s initiatives with the support of the Government of Switzerland.
Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Serbia, Fabrizio Andreucci, emphasized that rural women are a driving force behind local economic development, highlighting the importance of their visibility and support.
Snežana Vojčić, representative of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), noted that gender equality holds an important place in Sweden’s development cooperation and expressed hope that the model of women’s economic empowerment represented by the Women’s Market could also be applied in other parts of Serbia.
Vladana Ajvaz, Project Manager at UN Women, emphasized the need to provide women with access to new markets so that, as heads of their households, they can work sustainably and develop their businesses.
The local government also expressed its support for the initiative. President of the Municipality of Mionica Boban Janković said that the municipality would continue to support women entrepreneurs in rural areas – from developing ideas and production to entering the market.
President of the Association of Women of the Kolubara District Jelena Ružić emphasized that one of the greatest values of the Women’s Market is precisely the opportunity it gives women to sell their products without having to go to traditional markets, while continuing to manage all the responsibilities they have within their households.
“The Women’s Market enables women to send their products directly to customers’ addresses, without having to leave their households,” Ružić said.
The Next Step – A Cold Chain for Local Products
The next goal of the Association of Women of the Kolubara District is to acquire a refrigerated vehicle, which would enable safer and more efficient distribution of products such as cheese, kajmak and other products requiring controlled transport conditions.
For this purpose, a fundraising evening will be held on 28 September in Belgrade, at the “Miljenko Dereta” venue, with the aim of raising funds for the purchase of a refrigerated vehicle.
“Housewives Survivor” – A Day in the Life of a Rural Woman
The celebration of six years of the Women’s Market also provided an opportunity for participants to experience first-hand the everyday lives of women in rural households.
At the farm of Martina and Zoran Joksimović, the “Housewives Survivor” activity was held, during which representatives of the international community and programme participants, together with their hosts, took part in various household tasks. In a practical and direct way, the activity demonstrated how many different tasks a rural woman performs over the course of a single day.
From an initiative launched during a crisis to a sustainable model of women’s entrepreneurship, the Women’s Market today represents an example of how a local initiative, access to markets and long-term support can contribute to women’s economic independence, the sustainability of rural households and the development of local communities.
