Rural women and girls in Kosovo play a pivotal role in ensuring the sustainability of not only their households and communities, but also in improving rural livelihoods, economic development, and overall wellbeing.

One of these rural women is Zojë Prenka. She is a farmer who lives with her husband, two daughters and a son in the small village of Zhdredhë located in the outskirts of the municipality of Gjakovë/Ðakovica.

Zojë and her husband, Palok Prenka, have been engaged in agricultural activities for as long as they can remember.

“I have never worked in any other jobs, and neither has my husband. We have been doing this since forever,” says Zojë.

They started cultivating crops and raising cattle a long time ago, but the last 10 years of their agricultural labor have yielded them the most fruit.

“We used to live with my husband’s two brothers and their families, but 10 years ago we moved to our own house. Since then, we have been trying to grow our livestock and cultivate as many crops as we can,” explains Zojë. “Back then, we had one cow. Now we have eight,” she adds.

Zojë and her husband make a living by selling the chickens, cows, pigs, and sheep they raise, the products they produce, and the crops they cultivate to their neighbors in the village, restaurants in the nearby towns, and the market in Gjakovë/Ðakovica.

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