Growing up with parents who were producers, Angeliki Ganidou was exposed from a very young age to the challenging environment of the field and the specific demands of her family’s various crops. Today, she has managed to multiply the land initially granted to her by her family, has shifted towards new and diverse crops that she selects strategically, and continuously invests in her land while closely following developments in the agricultural sector.

As part of creating the 26th Business Story, we visited her and asked both her and her husband, Sakis, about the beginnings and evolution of their agricultural business, the use of funding tools, and all those key elements that led to the award “Women’s Entrepreneurship in Agricultural Production” at the “Farmer of the Year 2023” awards.Γυναικεία Επιχειρηματικότητα στην Αγροτική Παραγωγή” στα βραβεία “Αγρότης της Χρονιάς 2023”.

How did the business start and what led you to get involved in the agricultural sector?

My professional involvement in the field began in 2012, when I completed my first CAP application (OSDE), after my father granted me a very small area of farmland. I was also looking to receive support through a funding program to help me get started.

Both my husband and I come from farming families and essentially grew up in the fields. Since we already knew how to cultivate the land, it was a natural decision for us to jointly engage in the agricultural sector.

In 2016, even though we didn’t manage to join a funding program at that stage, we rented a significant number of acres and set up our own business. Today, we cultivate approximately 45 hectares in the areas of Lefki and Kipseli.

What crops did you start with and what are you cultivating now?

At the beginning, we chose to invest in more dynamic crops such as potatoes, eggplants, and onions, which we sold on the market as producers, aiming to secure higher income.

Later, we shifted to arable crops, mainly cereals and sunflowers, until 2018 when we joined the Improvement Plans and Nitrate Reduction programs. Since then, the majority of our cultivation has been focused on cotton. Today, we grow a total of 30 hectares of cotton, which we maintain in excellent condition with high yields.

We also cultivate a few stremmas of kiwis — about 1,050 trees — a crop I personally trained in and have now taken over full responsibility for their care.

What are the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector?

The daily tasks in the field are tough and physically demanding — not only for women but for everyone.

Also, even today, there is sometimes skepticism toward women in this field — a belief that we may not be capable of succeeding.

However, as a woman and a mother of three children, I would say that the biggest challenge is the long working hours and the lack of a fixed schedule. It’s extremely difficult in this profession to achieve a balance between personal and professional life. Personally, I have also chosen not to take my children with me to the fields, which means that on many days, I only get to see them for a short time.

What does a typical day look like for you?

We wake up very early every day, especially in recent years since we’ve added the trees. My husband, Sakis, starts working at 5 or 6 in the morning to take care of our cotton fields. In March, when sowing begins, we spend the whole day out in the field. For the land we cultivate, it takes about 20 to 25 days to complete the sowing.

In May, cotton sowing begins as well, and at the same time, we have to take care of the trees, which have quite a few and varied needs. During that period, I work both mornings and afternoons, sometimes without taking a break, just to finish all the necessary tasks. The trees grow so fast that sometimes you tie them up, and by the next day, some branches already need to be tied again.

Sometimes in the summer, to end our tiring workday on a pleasant note, while the trees are being watered, we relax out in the field, enjoying a beer and the fruits of our labor.

What are your future plans for the business?

This year, we decided to try something different. I’ve already started learning how to grow tomatoes and how hydroponic systems work. Our plan is to also get involved with growing vegetables. Since we have such large plots of land, we’re able to divide them so that we can cultivate all three major crop types: trees, arable crops, and vegetables. If we manage to combine these three very different types of cultivation—mainly in terms of time—it would allow us to cover the entire spectrum. This could lead to greater income and more security in case of adverse weather conditions or crop failures.

A future goal of ours is to set up a small greenhouse that can be maintained relatively easily with a few employees. One idea I have is to offer produce directly from the garden—something like a vegetable market—where customers could come to the greenhouse and pick their own fruits and vegetables. I’m not sure yet how this will be received in our region, but if it doesn’t work out, we’ll offer our produce directly to consumers.

How did you acquire all the knowledge these different crops require? 

I’m the kind of person who researches and reads everything I can. I also try to learn through collaborations with experts. For example, when we started growing trees, it was something completely different. Everything else—like wheat, corn, and cotton—we had learned from our parents. But growing trees, especially kiwi trees, was completely new not only for us but for the whole region of Xanthi. Local agronomists didn’t yet have the necessary expertise to help us grow our kiwis, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and study everything about kiwis. I eventually realized how complex this tree is, and I chose to work with a specialized team from Thessaloniki to oversee their cultivation.

I now use the same approach for our arable crops. I realized that these fields have been cultivated for many years by different people, so it’s likely that their characteristics and soil composition have changed. I work with experts to analyze our land and identify any “diseases” in the soil so we can treat them and make the land more productive.

In general, I choose to invest—when necessary—in collaborations with specialists, whom I select very carefully, to both educate myself and help my business progress and grow.

What made you apply for the “Farmer of the Year 2023” awards?

While browsing online, I came across the announcement and the criteria for participation. Honestly, I submitted the application a bit impulsively and after some encouragement from my family. I knew I met the requirements, but I also knew the competition would be tough. Eventually, after about a month and a half, I was informed that I had made it to the final three for the “Farmer of the Year” award. I didn’t win that particular award, but I was honored with a new award—one for Female Entrepreneurship in Agricultural Production—which I consider a great honor.

What did this award mean to you and how did you feel about it?

The award had a huge impact on my daily life right after the event, as well as on my overall mindset. I had the opportunity to share my story on a national level, giving interviews on many major and smaller media outlets, and I truly enjoyed the experience. I felt that all the effort I’ve put in over the years was finally recognized and that I proved wrong those who had doubted me or didn’t believe in my potential.

What advice would you give to a young person just starting out?

Starting from scratch and surviving as a farmer with a small piece of land is still very difficult, even today. I would advise young people interested in agriculture to also study something that will offer them additional knowledge and specialization in the field. If possible, they should also take advantage of any land or machinery that their family may already own, so they can start off with at least some basic infrastructure.

In the beginning, I believe it might be necessary to have a side job alongside farming or to try alternative—not typical—crops. This approach could help a young farmer grow gradually, reinvesting profits from their farming activities back into the business.

How important is funding from agricultural programs for a business like yours?

Despite the strict criteria and requirements, funding is very important—if you manage to secure it. I believe that if I had taken advantage of the Young Farmers program, I could have developed my business with less effort.

That said, I still managed to accomplish a lot thanks to my family's and my husband's agricultural background, as well as by participating in the improvement plans program, which helped me acquire essential equipment, and the nitrate reduction scheme, which definitely improved my business’s cash flow.

What is your collaboration like with ena Development Consultants?

We’ve had a long and satisfying collaboration with the company.

Η Angeliki Ganidou has had a steady partnership since 2014 with our company’s OSDE team, led by Maria Karatzoglou, for the annual cultivation declarations. She has also implemented the Nitrate Reduction program in cooperation with the same department. Finally, she joined and completed an investment plan under the Improvement Plans scheme of the Rural Development Program 2014–2020, with the support of the Primary Sector Department of ena Development Consultants, led by Lambros Exioglou. Through this improvement plan, her agricultural business received funding for the acquisition of a tractor, GPS, mulcher, disc harrow, cultivator, sprayer turbine, and mounted sprayer, as well as for the installation of a 1.7 hectare kiwi orchard. έχει σταθερή συνεργασία από το 2014 με το Τμήμα ΟΣΔΕ της εταιρείας μας, με επικεφαλής τη Maria Karatzoglou, για την εξυπηρέτηση της ετήσιας δήλωσης καλλιέργειας της. Επίσης, έχει υλοποιήσει σε συνεργασία με το ίδιο Τμήμα το πρόγραμμα της Απονιτροποίησης. Τέλος, έχει ενταχθεί και έχει υλοποιήσει επενδυτικό σχέδιο στα πλαίσια της δράσης Σχέδια Βελτίωσης, του Προγράμματος Αγροτικής Ανάπτυξης 2014-2020, με την υποστήριξη του Τμήματος Πρωτογενή Τομέα της ena Σύμβουλοι Ανάπτυξης, με επικεφαλής το Λάμπρο Εξίογλου. Μέσω του σχεδίου βελτίωσης, η αγροτική επιχείρηση της Αγγελικής, επιδοτήθηκε για την απόκτηση γεωργικού ελκυστήρα (τρακτέρ), GPS, καταστροφέα, δισκοσβάρνας, σκαλιστηριού, συρόμενης τουρμπίνας και αναρτώμενου ψεκαστικού, καθώς επίσης και για την εγκατάσταση ακτινιδεώνα 17 στρεμμάτων.

We warmly thank Angeliki for her hospitality and the wonderful conversation we had. It is always a great pleasure and source of inspiration to meet in person people who pour all their energy into what they love doing, achieving small “miracles” every single day.