Women in Agriculture - Farmsecure

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Agriculture in the Media A More Feminine Food System: Farmer Jane (a Book Review) Leslie Hatfield Senior Editor of GRACE Posted: 23rd of July 2010 Let’s try something: Picture for a moment a farmer. Ok. Got your farmer in your head? What does he look like? Most of us probably picture a typical farmer as an aging white man in overalls, when in reality, there are many people of colour who tend land, though not without even more difficulties than the white male farmers who’re struggling to stay afloat (the Latinos we call “farm workers”have a rich agricultural tradition, as do black farmers, many of whom have lost their land as well, in part because of discriminatory practices in USDA lending). And of course, women of all races, in the US and abroad, are farmers, too. In fact, women grow the vast majority of the food supply in the Global South. Stateside, they make up the largest group of new farmers. Yet, even within the “sustainable agriculture” movement, or the “good food” movement, whatever you want to call it, there is a lack of attention paid to these female agrarians. Of the talking heads that filled the screens of Food, Inc and Fresh, fantastic movies both, most were male. Both featured the well-spoken Joel Salatin, perhaps the most famous livestock farmer of our time, who, rumour has it, refuses to take on female interns at his farm. To be honest, as a writer who considers herself a feminist, I’ve probably been guilty of writing more about men than women, too, and have probably hopped on the usual suspect bandwagon a few too many times . The views and opinions published from personal materials and interviews in this editorial do not necessarily represent the official views of the Farmsecure Group.
Agriculture in the Media Enter Temra Costa’s new book, Farmer Jane. A compilation of profiles of farmers and food activists, the book groups the women it profiles by what they do into six chapters (Building new Farm-to-Eater Relationships, Advocates for Social Change, Promoting Local and Seasonal Food, Networks for Sustainable Food, Urban Farm Women and The Next Generation of Sustainable Farmers), each with a “recipe for action”, and ends with a handy appendix full of resources and essays on topics like genetic engineering the upcoming Farm Bill. With all due respect to the “farm moms” featured in Monsanto’s Mom of the Year contest, Farmer Jane paints a more dynamic picture of women farmers, many of whom don’t adhere to the “typical” farm stereotype, who instead focus on their creative approaches to food production and marketing, as well as the politics that influence their work (otherwise known as our meals). Many of them are indeed mothers and wives. A few of the dynamic women farmers profiled in Farmer Jane include Nancy Vail, Erika Allen, Deborah Koons Garcia and Jessica Prentice. All of that said, Farmer Jane is the first book I’ve heard of on the subject, and for that, I’m grateful and excited and hopeful for the conversations it may inspire. For would-be ladies of the land, Costa may seem to have underplayed her hand here, but by and large Farmer Jane is a good seed! For more information, go to: http://www.farmerjane.org/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leslie-hatfield/a-more-feminine-food-syst_b_657535.html Sourced by Elvera Strydom Volg daaglikse Landbouweekblad nuus, op ons webtuiste. The views and opinions published from personal materials and interviews in this editorial do not necessarily represent the official views of the Farmsecure Group.
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Women in Agriculture - Farmsecure

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