The women behind your plate

One of my favorite parts of my job is connecting with farmers from around the world. To commemorate Rural Women’s Day and World Food Day, we spoke with five inspiring women who work tirelessly to feed their communities and the world. Each is a testament to the revolution in sustainability, innovation, and equity that women bring to agriculture every day. Without further ado, let’s hear from this extraordinary group of women farmers!

Collina Msongole , Malawi

At age 25, Collina Msongole’s story is exceptional among her peers: she is the rare example of a young woman with land of her own.

On her two acres of land in Malawi, Collina grows maize, soybeans and groundnuts. She began her career as a farmer in 2019 by leasing two acres, but through careful saving was later able to purchase one acre.

Reflecting on Rural Women’s Day and World Food Day, she embraces these two days as a celebration of the contributions women make to feed the world.

“Women are at the heart of agriculture,” she said. “As women, we want to address issues of hunger. We want to be hunger free.”

As a young person, she also represents a group that could reform agriculture in Africa. As the youngest continent, more than 70% of the 1.2 billion people living in Africa are under the age of 30. That young population holds enormous potential to tip the scales in the fight to end hunger – in Africa and around the world.

“Here in Africa, youth have the potential to take agriculture to another level,” Collina said. “We are the change agents – we are young and we have the energy. What we lack is resources.”

Credit and financial services, education, agricultural inputs and technology, and markets to lease or purchase land could open doors for a generation of aspiring farmers to revolutionize Africa’s agricultural sector. A generation she takes pride in being among.

“I’m proud to be a young farmer, and I don’t take that for granted. When I see what I’ve achieved with my farm, I’m really proud of myself.”

Dulce Ciochetta, Brazil

In my home country of Brazil, the state of Mato Grasso is a heavyweight in the agricultural sector. More than one-quarter of the grains and soy grown in Brazil come from Mato Grasso, and it’s a leading producer of maize, sugarcane, beef, and cotton.

Dulce Ciochetta’s farming journey took her from the classroom to managing a 10,000-hectare farm in the “breadbasket” of Brazil. A schoolteacher for 17 years, Dulce turned to farming when her husband, Romeu, looked to expand the family farm into an agribusiness enterprise in Mato Grasso. Today, Dulce is administrative director of Grupa Morena, a large-scale producer that cultivates soybeans, corn, beef, and eucalyptus.

The farm practices a wide array of sustainable agriculture practices, including no-till farming, intercropping, agroforestry, the use of organic fertilizers, rainwater harvesting, and carbon farming. It’s part of their commitment to be good and do good.

“Companies must be good: they have to be profitable,” Dulce said. “And they must do good: for the planet, animals, the environment, their employees and society.”

That commitment to ‘do good’ includes contributing to the global effort to achieve food security. For her, World Food Day asks the question: What is the role of the farmer in feeding the world?

“Agriculture is essential, and our contributions to food security extend not just to our local communities but around the world,” she said.

Given the size of the challenge, with more than 800 million people worldwide experiencing food insecurity, Dulce appealed to cooperation among her peers to tackle the hunger crisis.

“As farmers, what we must do most is unite, share, and see each other as peers rather than competitors,” she said. “Regardless of who we are or where we live, the truth that unites us is the mission to feed the world.”

PUSHPA KUSHWAHA , India?

In India, women are the backbone of agriculture, with 80% of rural women working in farming. But discriminatory social norms frequently leave women underappreciated for their role as farmers.?

In the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, Pushpa Kushwaha is working to advocate for India’s women farmers, creating opportunities that might not have existed years ago.?

As a director of the Farmer Producer Company in Jharkhand, Pushpa’s organization represents the interests of 5,000 women farmers, providing them with access to markets, equipping them with enhanced inputs and resources, and training them in sustainable farming practices. She found fulfillment in the work immediately.?

“When I started working, I just loved my work and to see the happiness in the women when we provided agriculture services to them,” Pushpa said.?

The overwhelming majority of the women she works with are smallholder farmers, growing paddy and seasonal vegetables. Many practice rainfed agriculture that has become increasingly challenging due to unpredictable weather patterns driven by climate change. Pushpa’s organization supports women in adopting drip irrigation and in adapting other less water-intensive crops. They’re also strengthening women’s rights to the land they farm by helping women register land in their names. According to a National Family Health Survey from 2016, women’s ownership of land, independent or otherwise, was estimated to be 28.3%.??

“Our legal rights say women can own land, and women can register land in their names,” Pushpa said. “That’s how we’re closing the gap in land for women.”?

For women interested in entering the field, Pushpa urged them to show the determination she sees from the women she works with every day.?

“My advice to women in agriculture would be to never give up, and never listen to those who would demotivate you or tell you this is not a place for you,” Pushpa said. “You have to believe that, yes, you can do this. Because if a woman can cook food, then she can cultivate food.”?

Allyson Maxwell, USA

Farming is in Allyson Maxwell’s roots. Her mother grew up on a farm in southeastern Missouri, where Allyson visited during many happy summers.

A career in farming came years later, with her marriage 12 years ago to her husband, Peter. On their traditional row crop farm in Michigan, the Maxwells grow corn, sugar beets, wheat, and soybeans. The family operation spans about 3,500 acres, including the Maxwells’ farm and another operated by Peter’s family.

Sustainability is at the foundation of their farm, as Allyson considers a legacy that she and Peter can pass to their three sons.

“We want to be sure to take care of the earth and be really good stewards of our land, just as our ancestors did,” Allyson said, “so that we can pass this land on to our kids, and their kids.”

Even before becoming a farmer herself, Allyson had spent many years working with farmers for an agribusiness company, where she worked in sales and marketing. It was there that she began to appreciate the welcoming culture of the farming community.

“Being a woman and working in farming, I was always welcomed with open arms – I never felt like there wasn’t a place for me,” Allyson said. “Agriculture is such a warm, welcoming place, and that is a testament to the type of people farmers are.”

She sees more and more women joining the field every day – and wearing many different hats. From operating harvesters and heavy machinery to keeping the books – women have wide ranging responsibilities to keep a farm operating.

“I think that if anyone took a close look at the agriculture industry today, they would see a lot of diversity. And that’s a great thing.”

Gabriela Cruz , Portugal

For Gabriela Cruz, farming has been a family affair. Established by her great-grandfather in the 1900s, the farm sits on 700 hectares in the North Alentejo region of Portugal. An agronomist, Gabriela has managed the family farm for 34 years, and works alongside one of her three sisters, who manages their accounting and human resources.?

Gabriela’s educational background makes her ideally suited to manage a complex farm operation, but it wasn’t a path she was initially inclined to choose. It was her father who recommended she study agronomy.?

“I was more inclined to biology, but my father suggested that agronomy was a more eclectic subject – that I would study chemistry, physics, sociology, management, economics,” Gabriela said.?

Sustainable agriculture has been an ongoing journey for her farm, dating back more than 25 years. They practice a blend of irrigation and rain-fed farming to conserve water, cover cropping and no-till to protect soils, and integrated pest management to combat crop loss. The tools and technologies have come a long way from the days of her father’s time on the farm, Gabriela says, when many farmers struggled.?

“Over time and with all of these tools, our country is getting more self-sufficient in terms of food,” she says.?

The judicious use of fertilizer and agrochemicals have also served to boost productivity, and she hopes that European policymakers will be less restrictive in policies around fertilizer and seed technology, trusting farmers to make informed decisions for the health of their farm operations and the planet.?

To other young women interested in taking up farming, Gabriela has one piece of advice: Follow your dream.?

“It's a beautiful profession to produce food for people – to play a role in reducing hunger and providing people with the foods they love.”?