The Unsung Farmers
Women in Agriculture
There’s a whole new generation of women (and men), looking to not only source what they eat, and feed their children, but they’re passionate about growing what they eat as well. Many of the fresh-starts are households led by women, and they’re looking for the healthiest ways to do what they do.
Let me give you some stats to consider:
Women currently make up 43% of the agricultural labor force. Globally?
In Europe, only 29% of farms are managed by women.
In North America there are about 1 million women farm operators, and 500,000 more who lease their land to farmers.
240 million acres of farmland is estimated to change hands in the next 20 years.
11 million acres of US farmland has been fragmented, converted from agriculture, or paved over.
Since 2014 it’s decreased even further to almost 14 million acres. 659,000 of those were in Tennessee.
This is nothing more than Nature’s principles, which have worked beautifully for millennia. It starts with becoming a patient observer of the life around you, on your piece of ground. What is it telling you? If you’re having trouble with this, find a mentor who understands and practices regenerative agriculture, and ask questions. It’s so much easier to find someone like this, than it has been. Healing seems to come naturally to women, and healing the soil is the beginning. Our planet isn’t called Mother Earth for no reason.
Regenerative agriculture and good pasture management is front and center in what the new generation of farmers want to learn, as it’s become ever more apparent that our soils are used up, tired, sick, toxic, and no longer produce nutritious food. The previous decades have seen a surge in commercial industrial agriculture, where animals are kept in unnatural settings, and fed growth chemicals, antibiotics, and anything else to cause them to be more productive and grow faster. It’s become painfully clear that this isn’t working, as is evidenced in the health of those who eat it. Today’s farmers are looking for good answers. They want to know how to correct the damage done.
So, you have a small farm, and not enough money to get started? Good news! It doesn’t take much to raise a few chickens, a couple goats, or sheep. Learning about no-till gardening methods will have you excited because you won’t need to buy equipment or break your back to be successful! This is a good beginning. During this process you’ll learn, become familiar and comfortable with what you’re doing, which will encourage you to keep moving forward.
The simplest answer for how to begin is to learn the five soil health principles and follow them.
1. Soil armour
2. Minimizing soil disturbance
3. Plant diversity
4. Continual live plant roots
5. Livestock integration
Don’t bite off more than you can chew, you’ll become discouraged. Decide to be excellent at 2 things, rather than flop at five things. Take your time. Let your successes propel you. Teach your children as you learn. In a season or two, you’ll get the feel and understand more about the why’s.
You can do it! You will be profitable and feel good about the food you serve!
