SOLANG a Bäurin zvü ockat, oba zweng Aunerkennung ernt, bin i Feminist:in.
AS LONG AS women farmers toil in the fields but reap little reward, I will be a feminist.
As part of the regional festival WEIN/4-Festival, we installed our 35th SOLANGE net on the façade of a grain silo owned by Hasitschka Agrarhandel LLC, in Raasdorf, Lower Austria. The net is 550 m2 and centres the role of women farmers in agriculture.
The United Nations declared 2026 the “International Year of Women Farmers”. The goal is to raise awareness around the crucial role women play in the global agriculture and food sector, to recognize their work, and to promote their empowerment and equality. Considering this theme and the unique location – generously provided by the Hasitschka family in Raasdorf – it was an easy decision to focus the 35th SOLANGE sentence on women farmers.
AS LONG AS women farmers toil in the fields but reap little reward, I will be a feminist.
The original sentence is not in standard German, but in the Weinviertel region’s dialect. It makes unmistakably clear what daily life means for many women farmers: Their work is hard, physically demanding, and with very little time off. All this hard work goes to producing high-quality agricultural goods that benefit us all. Animals must be cared for, fields and gardens tended, and harvest season cannot be postponed. The farming sector is the first to be hit by the global climate crisis. And yet, the tireless work of women farmers – in all kinds of weather, in freezing temperatures or searing heat, often on small family farms where the workload is high and the yields are low – remains largely unseen.
Artist and SOLANGE creator Katharina Cibulka:
”In numerous conversations with women farmers, I learned that there is a great deal of exhaustion and frustration. In addition to farming, these women take care of the family, the home, and relatives in need of care. In short, they do all the work that is typically downplayed as women’s work: care work. Our aim is to make this double burden of often unappreciated and underpaid work highly and hugely visible.
What isn’t seen, doesn’t exist. Almost all women are familiar with consistently feeling like it’s all too much, because of double or even triple burdens. We will keep on repeating that care work is work and cannot be taken for granted. We will keep stitching and installing our message on façades AS LONG AS the irreplaceable value of our work is not seen, recognized and fairly compensated.
With the net’s installation on the Hasitschka silo, SOLANGE will hopefully draw lots of attention, spark discussion and initiate change. Come join us in spreading equality!“
Sonja Hasitschka, Managing Director of Hasitschka Agrarhandel LLC:
”In the agricultural sector, women often bear a double burden that needs to become more visible. Take, for example, the farm manager who is primarily responsible for running her farm while also shouldering the bulk of her family’s care work and mental load. Or highly qualified women with solid agricultural training and a deep interest in farming who are passed over in the line of succession for the family farm. Or the many female farmers who perform essential work on the farm and in their families yet have too little decision-making power and say when it comes to investments and committees.
There is still a lot to do when it comes to gender equality. As a cooperation partner of Katharina Cibulka and her team, we are proud to bring the newest iteration of SOLANGE to our silo in the Weinviertel region.“
The net was preceded by a regional participative process. A kick-off workshop held on March 4, Katharina Cibulka included 100 students from the local high school BG/BRG Groß-Enzersdorf, resulting in 100 SOLANGE sentences. Women farmers from the town of Gänserndorf were also invited to submit their sentences on postcard templates. There was also a public call online to send in sentences by the end of March 2026. We received a total of around 200 submissions, with topics ranging from gender stereotypes at work or in sports to specific inequalities in the agricultural sector.
While the 35th SOLANGE net is on display, another art work is in the making: Street artist Marielle Lehner – together with SILOSOPHIE – is painting two birds onto the silo: a falcon and a barn owl. New nesting boxes will also be installed, inviting both species to nest here.
With many thanks to our cooperation partner WEIN/4-Festival and Hasitschka LLC for allowing us to cover their silo.
photo credits: Ferdinand Cibulka
