In honor of International Women’s Day, this week’s round-up of choice bits features an article on women farmers, including two from New Hampshire; why women farmers can solve world hunger; and how the ranks of women brewers and butchers are growing.
Three Cheers for Women
Amanda cites not only the community at large but a community among women farmers in Southwestern New Hampshire as an important resource. “Women farmers in this area have a strong bond with each other, we are connected in a powerful way. We go for months without speaking to each other, but whenever we need anything we can turn to one another. It’s a great supportive network.” In fact, Amanda told me that farmer Tracie was a huge inspiration to her when she was first considering changing her career to farming. “I thought, if she could do it, so could I,” says Amanda.
— Real Time Farms
Closing the gender gap in agriculture
Yields on plots managed by women are lower than those managed by men, the report said. But this is not because women are worse farmers than men. They simply do not have the same access to inputs. If they did, their yields would go up, they would produce more and overall agricultural production would increase, the report said.
“The report makes a powerful business case for promoting gender equality in agriculture,” said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf. “Gender equality is not just a lofty ideal, it is also crucial for agricultural development and food security. We must promote gender equality and empower women in agriculture to win, sustainably, the fight against hunger and extreme poverty,” he added.
— Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Shattering Beer’s Glass Ceiling: the Rise of Women Brewers
What’s changing? Partly it’s a matter of the numbers reaching a critical mass. “More women are starting to realize there’s a place in the industry for them,” Parisi said. But it’s also part of the changing place of beer in American culture. “More women are drinking beer on their own, and that’s led to greater awareness. I see it at the bar. I was here at our bar doing a tasting, and there were three women with a tower of beer. It was a great sight.”
— The Atlantic
In Heels and Backwards — Women Butchers Break Bones and Barriers
Butchery is understanding the anatomy and using muscle, gravity, and knife skills. It’s tearing something at the seams, finding that space between the muscles and joints. These are not gender-specific skills. In fact, she finds women are often better at these skills than men. Using the rock-climbing example she says “a man might simply muscle his way up a rock wall, while a woman might use more finesse to work their way up. Both will get there.”
— Good Eater Collaborative
Lindy & Grundy: Female butchers with a sustainable philosophy
“I don’t think it’s shocking that people would be intimidated by someone who’s wielding a knife and splattered in blood,” Dawson says. “But they have an approachable female face … it’s more accessible. Many of the butchers around are not people the younger generation would look at as peers. I think they’re filling a much-needed niche.”
— LA Times