Regional Mountain Conference

The Role of Women in Alpine Farming

Constanze Rammer

Alpine pastures shape Austria’s landscapes and cultural heritage while providing critical ecological functions. Yet, in less favorable sites, abandonment continues despite conservation measures, accelerating scrub encroachment and reforestation. This presentation examines how women-led agritourism and diversification strategies are reimagining alpine farming to enhance resilience, economic viability, and social sustainability.

Drawing on narrative interviews with female alpine farmers who offer agrotourism services across Austria, including direct marketing, workshops, farm stays, and artisan production, the study uses thematic analysis to explore women’s roles in innovation, farm management, and community engagement. First findings highlight that women are pivotal in developing multifunctional farm models, integrating traditional pastoral practices with new revenue streams. These initiatives support ongoing grazing and landscape maintenance, stabilize household incomes, strengthen local value chains, and deepen visitor connections to alpine environments. They also reposition women as key decision-makers and entrepreneurs, reshaping gender norms within farm families and rural communities.

The analysis identifies enabling factors (e.g., transferable skills, social networks, digital marketing) and recurring constraints (e.g., seasonal workload peaks, childcare and care responsibilities, limited infrastructure and broadband, regulatory complexity and market access). By foregrounding women’s agency in diversification and place-based innovation, this work offers empirically grounded insights into the socio-ecological pathways that can counter pasture abandonment and align alpine farming with climate adaptation, landscape stewardship, and vibrant rural futures.