Data garnered from the USDA’s Economic Research Service indicates that woman-operated farms more than doubled between 1982 and 2007. Approximately 14% of the nation’s farms are run by women, who now comprise about 30% of all U.S. farmers. And the data shows that many female operators are going into smaller, more sustainable and diversified operations that focus on direct sales to communities.
Sena Christian profiles four female operators in this piece from Civil Eats. She writes:
Veteran Iowa farmer LaVon Griffieon sees this growing trend as an opportunity for women to break through what you could call the grass ceiling of yet another traditionally male-dominated profession. “There’s a real place for women in farming,” she says. “They are the nurturers and the persons [who] sustain the land.”
A fascinating and important read about the changing face of agriculture.
Related Links:
Project documents work of women in agriculture