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Women, race and place in US Agriculture

Author

Listed:
  • Ryanne Pilgeram

    (University of Idaho)

  • Katherine Dentzman

    (Iowa State University)

  • Paul Lewin

    (University of Idaho)

Abstract

Research on women in U.S. agriculture highlights how, despite real challenges, women have made and continue to make spaces for themselves in this male-dominated profession. We argue that, partly due to data accessibility limitations, this work has tended to use white women’s experiences in agriculture as universal. Analyzing micro-data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture, this paper offers descriptive statistics about women and race in U.S. agriculture. We examine numerous characteristics of U.S. farms, including their spatial distribution, the average number of acres farmed, predominant crop types, and other characteristics to describe how white, Black, Indigenous, and Pacific Islander/Asian women farmers are faring. Our findings suggest significant differences in women’s farms by race. We argue that these are related to the history of forced and voluntary migration within the U.S. Our results indicate that understanding women’s experiences in farming requires understanding the impact of race and these broader historical patterns. Finally, because of these differences across races, we suggest that supporting “women in agriculture” may require tailored responses from agricultural policy and programming that addresses unique needs in specific communities.

Suggested Citation

  • Ryanne Pilgeram & Katherine Dentzman & Paul Lewin, 2022. "Women, race and place in US Agriculture," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(4), pages 1341-1355, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:39:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s10460-022-10324-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-022-10324-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Wynne Wright & Alexis Annes, 2020. "FASTing in the mid-west?: A theoretical assessment of ‘feminist agrifoods systems theory’," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(2), pages 371-382, June.
    2. Schmidt, Claudia & Goetz, Stephan J. & Tian, Zheng, 2021. "Female farmers in the United States: Research needs and policy questions," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
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    5. Pilgeram, Ryanne & Dentzman, Katherine & Lewin, Paul & Conley, Kelsey, 2020. "How the USDA Changed the Way Women Farmers are Counted in the Census of Agriculture," Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm, and Resource Issues, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 35(1), April.
    6. Hoppe, Robert & Korb, Penni, 2013. "Characteristics of Women Farm Operators and Their Farms," Economic Information Bulletin 148543, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    7. Jennifer Ball, 2014. "She works hard for the money: women in Kansas agriculture," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(4), pages 593-605, December.
    8. Evan Fraser, 2004. "Land tenure and agricultural management: Soil conservation on rented and owned fields in southwest British Columbia," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 21(1), pages 73-79, March.
    9. Megan Horst & Amy Marion, 2019. "Racial, ethnic and gender inequities in farmland ownership and farming in the U.S," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(1), pages 1-16, March.
    10. Jennifer A. Ball, 2020. "Women farmers in developed countries: a literature review," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(1), pages 147-160, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Carly E. Nichols, 2024. "Being a woman with the “skills of a man”: negotiating gender in the 21st century US Corn Belt," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 41(3), pages 1053-1068, September.
    2. Katherine Dentzman & Ryanne Pilgeram & Falin Wilson, 2023. "Applying the feminist agrifood systems theory (fast) to U.S. organic, value-added, and non-organic non-value-added farms," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(3), pages 1185-1204, September.
    3. Carolyn Sachs, 2023. "Gender, women and agriculture in Agriculture and Human Values," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(1), pages 19-24, March.

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