The role of women in agriculture

Women in agriculture have fulfilled the duties of farm work, from processing agricultural goods to tending fields, since humanity began to settle and cultivate crops. Early societies, especially in the West, adhered to gender roles that left the duty of tending the home to women, as men embarked on hunting and war parties.

World War II efforts

During World War II, however, food scarcity, driven by labor shortages, meant that new avenues needed to be explored by governments to feed their populations and troops. During a 1942 tour of Britain, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt observed the Women’s Land Army providing vital work on British farms and proposed a similar approach in America. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), however, rejected her calls.

The following year, Congress passed a law creating the Emergency Farm Labor Program, allowing women, students, people of Caribbean descent, and prisoners of war from Italy and Germany to work on farms. This initiative, along with the Bracero Program, brought Mexican workers to America to tend fields and allowed America to address its farm labor shortages.

Out of the Emergency Farm Labor Program, the Women’s Land Army of America (WLA) was born. The WLA operated from 1943 to 1945, with an estimated 2.5 million women offering labor to keep America’s farms producing

Women farmers today

Cooperative Extension Systems and local and state authorities recruited and trained many women to work farms. Many more simply learned on the job. Today, women are poised to grow their influence in the farming sector, and resources are available to promote this growth.

According to USDA’s 2022 Census of Agriculture, women accounted for 1.2 million (36%) of the 3.4 million producers in the nation. At least 58% of these farms had a female producer. Unfortunately, this indicates a slight decrease of 0.2% compared to the 2017 census.

The following are some other key facts about women farmers:

• Women comprise 35% of Alabama’s total farming population.
• Female producers were slightly younger than male producers (57.8 vs. 58.3 years).
• An estimated 31% of women raise poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese) or other livestock.
• Women make up 26% of farm laborers, graders, and sorters and account for 17% of farm managers, inspectors or supervisors.
• Black and Hispanic women make up 1-3% of female farmers in the United States.

Year of the female farmer

The United Nations has claimed 2026 to be the International Year of the Woman Farmer. Women produce more than half of the world’s food, and in some countries that number is between 60-80%. With a spotlight on women farmers, the goal is to raise awareness of issues that women face in agriculture, such as property rights and access to credits and farming markets, as well as educational support.

More information

Alabama Extension offers numerous resources to help female and other farmers across Alabama. Visit www.aces.edu for more information.