Senwes Scenario Augustus / September 2015 | Page 42

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FUT UR
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E FO
OC
CUS

THE VOICE OF WOMEN IN
AGRICULTURE
– THE MISSING LINK
JENNY MATHEWS

I

have participated in organised agriculture for over
ten years now and I am often
astounded by the absence of
women in these circles. Why is
it, I wonder, that although there
are increasingly more women
actively farming and producing
food - and there is a huge percentage of farmers’ wives who
play a critical supporting role in
the farming operations of their
husbands - that the voice of
women in this sector is largely silent? Don’t get me wrong, I am
no fanatical woman’s libber, but
I am all for recognition of all the
stakeholders in the sector - and I
believe that a sector which does
not hear enough women’s voices
is missing something special.
Generally speaking, women are
the caregivers in the home, often
dealing with the consequences
of policies designed
in the corridors of
power where few
women have participated in the
decision-making processes
around the
board

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RAISE YOUR WORDS NOT YOUR VOICE. IT IS THE
RAIN THAT MAKES FLOWERS GROW, NOT THE
THUNDER – RUMI
room tables. So why not get
involved?
One thing I can say from
personal experience is that the
silence from women cannot be
blamed on the leaders in the sector. The men I have had dealings
with over the past decade have
shown nothing but appreciation
and respect for the contribution
that I have been able to make. I
have felt welcome to express my
opinions - even if it has meant
that we have had to disagree on
issues. I have never pretended
that I could debate the finer
points of calibrating a planter,
but I too ‘feel’ the seasons in the
fields, in the office, in my household and on my skin equally as
much as any other farmer does.
So I have to ask the question:
Why are women apparently
content to stay home rather than
become actively involved in organised agriculture? It is only by
participating in the meetings and
debates that we can ensure that
issues which concern us are addressed; from the quality of the
food on the table to the viability
of planting maize next season,
to the well-being of the farm
workers or even the image of
the farmers in public spaces and
social media platforms - or the
amount of misinformation being

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stuffed down the public’s throats
about farmers and the way they
run their operations and care for
their livestock… Surely as women we should be more prepared
to actively participate in different
forums and raise our voices?
I do not buy into the image
that women in agriculture are
apathetic. On the contrary, I am
constantly blown away by the
number of dynamic, go-getting
women in agriculture who bring
a stunning wide array of talent,
determination and brilliance
to the sector as each one makes
her industrious contribution,
whether it is keeping the farm
accounts, managing aspects of
the farming operations or even
driving their own creative businesses in agriculture.
THE IN
NVIS
SIB
B L E WO M A N
While it is true that for too
long women in agriculture have
been invisible to policy makers, financing institutions and
even researchers, it is also true
that they have often even been
invisible to themselves. They
have identified themselves with
statements such as ‘I don’t work’
or ‘I’m just a farmer’s wife,’ and
have completely underplayed the
significance of their role in the
sector. Around the world things