October 15^th is International Day of Rural Women. We celebrate their knowledge, wisdom and skills that contribute to the land they live and work on, not just in Australia but worldwide!

The United Nations reporting that almost a third of women’s employment globally is in agriculture sectors. Women have always been on farms, whether they have been recognized or not, they are a part of the backbone that keeps agriculture flourishing. 

But did you know that Australia didn’t recognize female farmers until 1994?

Before a ruling change, Australian women could only list their legal status as ‘domestics’, helpmates’, or ‘farmers’ wife’, when it came to working in agriculture.

The Australian Government Department for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry reports that Australian women comprise only 32% of the agricultural workforce, mostly in the commodities of sheep, cattle, and grain farming. But of that percentage,18% are managers and in administration, with only 2.3% in CEO positions.

Women are so vital to farms and their day-to-day management. They bring a new perspective and role into the industry, with values of sustainability and preferring high-quality produce and products over large-scale production. However, agriculture in Australia has one of the lowest levels of employment for women in its workforce. Only 14.6% of women are in full time positions in comparison to 56.2% employment of men. There is a significant talent pool of women with agricultural skills that just aren’t being utilised!

Similar goes in the United States with their Agriculture Department’s Census revealing that they have 36% of women as farm operators. Meanwhile, United Kingdom is the leader with 55% of their agricultural workforce being female. 

How can we support women in agriculture?

Education is the key to sustaining and supporting women in agriculture. The stereotype of agriculture being a man’s industry needs to be challenged and changed. Women bring such an important perspective and role to the industry and with Australia's agriculture sector close to a workforce crisis, now is the time to be supporting women into agriculture.

Women compromise 55% of agricultural science degree graduates, yet only 31.5% of them are in their chosen profession in the agricultural sector. Ruling that women are underrepresented and under-utilized, which is why we need to support them into going to this industry. We can support women in, or going into, agriculture by supporting them at the start with encouragement into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) roles. A field very male-dominated, but also strongly connected to agriculture. With the rise of Agtech into the industry, engineering and technology has never been more important or needed then it is now.

What resources are available?

Organisations such as Australian Women in Agriculture and the National Rural Women's Coalition are also active in this industry. These organisations seek to provide women with more recognition in their roles as farmers.

Additionally, AgriFutures developed a program in 2021 named 'Rural Women’s Acceleration Grant', to help support women who are developing businesses in rural communities. 

There is also the Visible Famer film project, which is an educational series of different women who play a role in producing our food and fibre globally. 

Pink Tractor's is an American association with the mission is to 'Encourage, Embrace, Engage and Empower All Women in the World of Ag!'

Commonground is another women's association that stands to bring together and empower women in agriculture.

Disclaimer: Content on this website may be of relevance to users outside of Australia, but content links and examples are specific to Australia. Please check with your local authority for your country and industry requirements.