a thoughtful article and a survey request from Matthew Hoffman on the National Young Farmer’s Coalition blog:
Is there a special connection between women and sustainable agriculture? People sometimes talk about the masculinization of agriculture since WWII or about women being more nurturing and less inclined toward machines and chemicals. But the fact is that the overall number of people involved in agriculture has declined dramatically in the past 60 years. My supposition is that small-scale, sustainable agriculture is more appealing and accessible to everybody, men and women, and especially to people with no background in agriculture—which, as the National Young Farmers’ Coalition survey last year demonstrated, is most new farmers.
The exploratory survey that my friend Piper and I are circulating is for all farmers—men and women, conventional and organic, but especially for young and beginning farmers. We’re trying to learn what makes different kinds of agriculture more or less attractive and accessible, about the different pathways that lead young people into agriculture, and whether there really are any gendered differences with these things amongst the new generation of farmers. Knowing this will help us to advocate for rural policy that doesn’t ignore agriculture, but rather which makes it more appealing and accessible to everyone.
It’s actually a pretty quick survey and your participation is really valuable. Thanks for taking the time to fill it out! Click here for the survey!
