It’s no secret that women have always worked in agriculture. But until recently, official counts of agricultural operators have frequently overlooked their contributions. It is a reflection of the way that farm operations are structured, and the way that census questions have been asked. Many U.S. farms are joint operations, but women may be listed on ownership documents or bank accounts below their husband.
One thing that the census reveals is that female operators are focused more in specialty or niche operations, including local and regional food systems.
Harvest Public Media reports on that finding, and more:
“The percentage of women farmers is climbing, according to USDA data. Even while the total number of farmers is dropping nationwide, women are taking up a larger piece of the pie. In 2002 about 27 percent of farmers were women. In 2012 that increased to more than 30 percent. The share of U.S. farms primarily operated by women has steadily increased over the past three decades, from 5 percent in 1978 to nearly 14 percent by 2012.”
To read the full piece and view an interesting inforgraphic, please click on this link to reach the Harvest Public Media site.