Just 53 women took part in the tillage Knowledge Transfer (KT) scheme, according to information received by the Women in Agriculture Stakeholders Group (WASG).
Women made up just over 3,000 of the 19,000 participants in KT, but the small proportion of women represented in tillage farming is a serious concern for the inclusivity of the sector according to the group.
The newest member of the WASG, Niamh Hendy, of the Irish Grain Growers’ Group (IGGG) said the figures were “shocking” and that she was determined to show that tillage was a welcoming environment for women.
“The numbers are not indicative of the reality on the ground and we need to do more to encourage female inclusion in such schemes,” Niamh said.
Just 53 women across four counties took part in the Knowledge Transfer Scheme according to information from a Freedom of Information request from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
County breakdown of women in tillage Knowledge Transfer scheme
- Laois: 30;
- Kilkenny: 18;
- Kildare: 4;
- Carlow: 1.
Tillage farming for women
A fourth-generation tillage and beef farmer, farming with her father David and brother Eoin just outside Athy in Co Kildare, Niamh Hendy, came home to work on the farm in 2015 after securing her masters in law, an area she still works in while working on the family farm.
“I come from a long line of female farmers who worked just as tirelessly on the land as their male counterparts, but no official record will reflect such,” she explained.
“We need to ensure that the patriarchal system which has existed in farming for generations is replaced with one which places all genders on an equal footing.
“Women form a large and integral part of family farms all over the country and yet the figures fail to reflect this. By and large, tillage is a major area where these numbers are not borne out in the official records,” she added.
She added that Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures show that over a quarter of those working on farms (71,700) are women, yet their work is rarely officially recognised and claimed they are essentially treated as a minority group.
Chair of the WASG, Hannah Quinn-Mulligan said she was delighted to welcome Niamh to the group and said it was vital that women were represented across all sectors.
She also welcomed the updated legal text on the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) which further strengthens the requirement that each member state will face to ensure that supports for women are put in place.