Gayle Ice has been farming on her certified organic and acequia-irrigated farm for over 30 years. Named a Farmer All Star in 2012, Ice’s Organic Farm has been represented at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market since 1994.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) website states: “Women have been a critical part of farm and ranch operations across the country — and around the globe — for centuries. From the classroom to the farm to the boardroom, women in agriculture are helping to pave the way for a better future. As leaders, it is our responsibility to make sure the next generation of women are educated, encouraged and empowered to take on the challenges of meeting the world’s growing food, fuel and fiber needs.”
In the most recent census of agriculture completed in 2017 the USDA concluded:
- More than one third, 36%, of all U.S. producers are female but only 9% of all US farms are run entirely by women.
- 14% of US farms have female principal operators.
- Despite these numbers, women farmers control only 7% of US farmland and account for 3% of sales.
- The highest proportion of these female operated farms are located in the Northeast and West.
In New Mexico, there are 16,577 female producers operating on 18,108,297 acres of land. Of these, 12,047 (73%) are the principal producers on their operations. [source]
The USDA website states: “Women have been a critical part of farm and ranch operations across the country — and around the globe — for centuries. From the classroom to the farm to the boardroom, women in agriculture are helping to pave the way for a better future. As leaders, it is our responsibility to make sure the next generation of women are educated, encouraged and empowered to take on the challenges of meeting the world’s growing food, fuel and fiber needs.”
SFFMI Board Member Gail Wadsworth reported, women farmers face gender discrimination when accessing federal programs and in other ways. In October of 2001, nine women filed suit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture for discrimination against women farmers in the administration of USDA farm loans. The USDA has attempted to address the previous discrimination against women farmers and is working to resolve claims. But women still face an “uphill battle in asserting themselves as farmers; particularly if they are living and working in communities in which masculinity and femininity have been shaped over time by the gendered symbolic categories of farmer and farm wife.” (Journal of Rural Social Sciences, Keller, Julie C. Vol 29. No.1, January 1, 2014)
“I believe that women’s biggest challenge in the Ag industry is that we are being seen as less educated and less capable,” said Holly Nequette, an agricultural business student at Colorado State University. “Women are viewed as inferior to men in the industry, which is why they tend to only have desk jobs.”
The composition of the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market betters the results of the national survey where more than half of the vendors represented are women. At the Institute, we are working to address the lack of access to credit. Working in partnership with Guadalupe Credit Union, the Institute’s Microloan Program facilitates low interest loans for farmers who might have difficulty in accessing credit otherwise. Over the past few years 50% of farmers who took part in the program were women.