Smiling, we asked if we could meet the women at the training center, hoping to talk with them about their journey in learning how to grow healthy and nourishing food. We were led into a room packed with young, vibrant women, and my heart leapt, imagining these faces as the next generation of powerful female voices in the organic agriculture movement. My vision was shattered, however, when we began asking these girls what they wanted to be when they grew up. “A seamstress!” the first answered. “I want to own a boutique,” piped the next. “A fashion designer!” offered a third. Confused, we asked if any of them wanted to be farmers, and they all giggled, thinking we were joking. The answer was a resolute and emphatic NO: these young women were all daughters of farmers, and their fathers were at the training facility to learn how to best take advantage of government grants and subsidies (most of which are only offered to men).
I offer this story as an example of one of the most disheartening moments of our trip; the rest of our days were packed with conversations amongst women who are leading the way towards food security in their rural communities and who have been the driving forces of positive change for women all over the country. The incident at the training center, however, is emblematic of not only the technical and financial impediments facing female farmers across the world, but the philosophical obstacles preventing women from embracing sustainable agriculture as a viable profession. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, agriculture across India employs 89.5% of the female labor force, yet fewer than 10% of landowners are female (). Women who are not technically employed through the agricultural sector still grow the bulk of the food in their communities, yet their labor goes largely unaided and unappreciated. Many monetary and advisory support systems in place in developing countries to help organic farmers are offered only to men; it is assumed that women have neither the capability nor the necessary influence to run a thriving business or change the face of agriculture. While nearly all women in rural areas of India labor in the fields, few would consider themselves farmers. It is simply a way of life, not a recognized profession.
Thankfully, however, the reality of female voices being hugely underrepresented in the global agriculture scene is beginning to shift. Women all over the world are embracing their identities as farmers, seed savers, and advocates for food security. In the hands of corporations and chemical industries, agriculture today has become one of the most significant polluters of our planet, contributing to the demise of soil, water, and air quality. Pesticides and fertilizers strip the land of its vitality while simultaneously stripping farmers of their right to protect and cultivate their land for years on end. Genetic engineering is forcing farmers to abandon the standard practice of seed saving, driving them into hopeless debt. Yet as more and more women join the global agriculture movement, we are witnessing a resurgence of just, community-based farming based upon the nurturing of land, body, and soul. As the food security movement across India and across the world helps women to find their voices, they in turn are catalyzing the shift from a broken system of agriculture based on monocropping and pesticide application to one of smaller, diversified, farms bursting with vibrancy.
Indeed, as a young farmer in Vermont, it is impossible to ignore the speed and consciousness with which women are embracing sustainable agriculture. Female applicants for the coveted intern position at my college’s organic garden outnumber male applicants by at least two to one. Many of the non-profits promoting sustainable agriculture in my area are managed by women, and workshops for new farmers are always packed with young, entrepreneurial women with a passion for sustainable farms and healthy food. We are beginning to see farming in the United States shift from a male-dominated profession to one characterized not by a certain gender but by a certain mentality: one of perseverance, creative vision, and commitment to a sustainable future. Meanwhile, in countries around the world where females have always been a core component of the agricultural workforce, women are finding empowerment through the promotion of sustainable farming.
While evidence of women’s struggles in the agriculture sector became painfully obviously over the duration of my trip to India, the overwhelming sentiment from that journey was one of inspiration. In India, a country notorious for gender inequity, women are banding together to save their communities from the threat of genetically modified seed and poisonous fertilizers. They are building coalitions based on the ancient wisdom of seed saving and gentle farming techniques. Together with the visionary men in their region, they are reclaiming the farming profession with pride and hope. Their efforts reflect the huge growth of the global organic agriculture movement. With each new small farm, community food project, and food security initiative, we are advancing in our urgent fight for a healthy, stable planet. Step by step, we are helping to restore agriculture as a promising symbol of hope for a sustainable global future. Women are embracing their roles as critical leaders in this mission, and our combined power leaves compelling reason to believe in enormous positive change for the future of food on our planet.