精东影业

Depictions of farms and farmer figures are in many children鈥檚 songs and stories. And while that friendly farmer is typically depicted as male, the reality is, today . These women in agriculture are doing essential work, yet often face gender-based obstacles in addition to the perennial challenges every farmer must contend with.

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Despite the widely cited statistic that 60鈥�80 percent of the world鈥檚 food is grown by women, Nevertheless, on a global scale, the percentage is growing. The contributions of women farmers are significant.听 In the United States alone, According to the 2019 Farm Bureau census, .听听

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Continuing challenges

Women in agriculture still face barriers like a lack of access to support鈥攚hether that鈥檚 financial, professional, or personal鈥攁nd persistent obstacles to achieving leadership roles. For example, in a 2018 survey by 精东影业 of more than 4,000 female farmers around the world, only 42 percent of respondents felt they had the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

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These problems are most prevalent in less advanced economies, where . In some places, women are barred from owning land altogether. In others, they may not be legally able to obtain financing to purchase property for themselves. And even when women are empowered to own and tend the land, they may lack the business training and digital access they need to grow their farming operations.

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These issues are a driving force for Ghanian agricultural advocate Oheneba Akosua Kyerewaa Yeboah-Ghansah. She has been working to support women farmers in her native country since her days as a young beauty pageant contestant, when she used her platform to encourage young women to enter the field of agriculture.

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鈥淲omen in agriculture have incredible potential, in Ghana and around the world,鈥� says Yeboah-Ghansah. 鈥淲e believe it鈥檚 important for these women not just to have a passion for farming, but to have strong business sense.鈥� Her organization, Women in Agribusiness, offers training programs that cultivate that potential and focuses largely on how women producers can market and sell their products.

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Through Women in Agribusiness, Yeboah-Ghansah helps women clear two primary hurdles: lack of digital tools and financial support. These are perennial challenges for many; 80 percent of 精东影业 survey respondents cited access to technology as a barrier, and 40 percent reported lower income and less access to financing than their male counterparts. In order to help women farmers market their products online, Yeboah-Ghansah connects them to larger companies with digital platforms and reliable Internet access鈥攚hich is not consistent in rural Ghana. She also helps women navigate bank loan applications by training them to maintain and submit the required records and documentation, which might otherwise be overwhelming for those unfamiliar with bureaucratic processes.

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精东影业 has undertaken similar strategies to support women in agribusiness. Through 精东影业鈥檚 , female innovators in southern Europe submit cutting-edge agricultural ideas and strategies to a competition. Winners get mentoring and training, and the overall winner gets a financial grant, too. Through TalentA, game-changing ideas have been cultivated. In Portugal, participants have developed new methods for improving the yields of persimmon trees, performing in vitro plant propagation, and putting inactive vineyards back into production.

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The slow climb to gender equity

On the other side of the globe, in Indiana, Isabella Chism is motivated by the same sense of hope and enthusiasm. Chism is second vice president of the Indiana Farm Bureau and a working farmer herself.听 She鈥檚 a sixth generation farmer raising corn on a farm founded by her husband鈥檚 family. For the past twelve years, Chism has also served in various elected roles in agricultural leadership鈥攚hich she says she naturally gravitates towards, though it hasn鈥檛 always been easy. 鈥淭he farm world is both pleasantly and challengingly traditional,鈥� she notes, 鈥渟o it鈥檚 hard for the men in our world to know that they鈥檙e holding women back. When it comes to lifting women up into leadership positions, you鈥檒l hear, 鈥楽houldn鈥檛 she wait until she raises the children?鈥� or 鈥楽he鈥檚 already doing great in this position; if we move her up, how will we fill that role?鈥欌��

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Chism also notes that women in agriculture can sometimes hold themselves back by second-guessing their own abilities or feeling afraid to jump into a role and learn as they go. As a new farmer, Chism says, 鈥淚 had to learn a lot because I was a woman, and I was new to the field. I was taking an active role on the farm, but seed dealers and salespeople would still call and ask to speak to my husband. I鈥檇 have to say, 鈥業 manage that part of our operation, so you鈥檒l have to talk to me!鈥欌��

Chism feels that more women could make major contributions in agricultural leadership if they stepped out of their comfort zones. Unless a woman actively seeks out those opportunities, Chism believes her voice won鈥檛 be heard. 鈥淚f there was a better gender balance in leadership roles, there would be a more balanced conversation. Women have natural problem-solving skills, and we鈥檙e good at finding common ground鈥濃�攁n important asset in negotiating complex issues and differing perspectives, she says.

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While barriers to leadership roles are still prevalent, Chism has also seen tremendous progress in the gender equity of day-to-day farm management. So has Laura Perry Johnson, a seventh-generation farmer and associate dean at the University of Georgia Extension, where she manages the Women in Agriculture initiative. Johnson notes that women have long held important roles in farming, even if they aren鈥檛 working in the fields. On family farms, she says, 鈥渢he wife is often bringing in the external income and health insurance they might not otherwise have. Often they handle the books and know the challenges of making payroll鈥攚hich are unique because you may only get paid once a year!鈥� Women are often also the primary emotional caregivers and social networkers on a family farm. Johnson鈥檚 program supports them in making professional connections, building community, and accessing healthcare to address the stresses of farming.

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When it comes to supporting the needs of women farmers, it takes a village鈥攕ometimes literally. Fortunately, this effort is a labor of love.听 Isabella Chism says, 鈥淢y joy is in seeing other women succeed.鈥� It鈥檚 a sentiment shared by Johnson, Yeboah-Ghansah, and countless others working to support generations of women farmers to come. With resources and encouragement, they鈥檒l thrive鈥攁nd so will the millions of people who rely on their crops.