In the past few years, many people in America bucked their traditional office roles in favor of jobs that allow them to spend time outdoors or work in nature. Women were especially galvanized during this time. According to Business Insider, a record 309,000 women left their jobs in September 2021 alone. While many moved on to other corporate, retail, or creative gigs, a growing number infiltrated the traditionally male-dominated farming industry.

The 2017 Census of Agriculture cites that female producers comprised nearly 50% of farming numbers in Arizona, Alaska, New Hampshire, Oregon, Maine, and more. Global Trade reports that from 2012 to 2017, the number of domestic female farmers grew by more than 250,000. In contrast, during that same time frame, the number of male farmers decreased by approximately 40,000.     

Young girls are even finding careers in farming. At the age of six, Kendall Rae Johnson became the youngest certified farmer in Georgia. Johnson’s mother Ursula told “Good Morning America” back in 2021: “She started out in a patio garden and the patio garden grew from a little bitty something to, by the time her fourth birthday came, we had a full-fledged garden in our backyard. And then we moved, and now she has a farm.” Her business grows okra, green beans, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, and more. The younger Johnson even received a $10,000 gift to apply towards her efforts in December 2021.

That’s the positive side of farming, but what are some of the pitfalls of women entering this space? Like any industry, women are often put in a position to play second fiddle to men in terms of financial resource allocation, as well as land ownership and forming vendor relationships to sell the literal fruits of their labor. In addition, some people associate working the land with a lack of education or commercial experience. Yet, farming relies on botanical knowledge, environmental science, marketing, and accounting as core competencies. 

Fortunately, factions like Veganic Agriculture Network are excellent tools for female farmers to make their presence known. Soul Fire Farm is an Afro-Indigenous group co-founded by Leah Penniman, which includes farmer training for growers within the Black and Brown communities. Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, has proven to be a valuable resource for many female farmers who wish to improve their farming skills. Other farming resources like microloans have also led to an increase in women’s shift to growing. With more and more people adopting vegan lifestyles and plant-based diets, the need for farmers is critical. This is a call to action for women everywhere to step up and dominate this new frontier.

Source: Good Morning America, Global Trade, National Geographic