Agricultural education: Gender identity and knowledge exchange

Trauger, Amy; Sachs, Carolyn; Barbercheck, Mary E.; Kiernan, Nancy Ellen; Brasier, Kathy; Findeis, Jill L.

doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2008.03.007

Cited by 95 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Theories to explain these differences include the role of biological or evolutionary influences (essentialist), the influence of social factors on the construction of women's self concepts (social constructivist), and the role of selective access to resources, training, technologies and so on in culturally defining the role of women (historicalmaterialist) (Alston, 2006;Nightingale, 2006). In an agricultural context Trauger et al (2008) suggest another possibility, that a combination of physiology (less physical strength) and culture (less technical competence due to lack of education) leads women to select strategies that require less strength and limited use of large equipment -consequently favouring agricultural approaches that are less energy intensive. However, in contrast, Brandth (2006) observes that the failure of women to operate large machinery is attributable to its cultural construction as a male domain (a social constructivist perspective) rather than a matter of ability.…”

Section: Gendermentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of farmer demographic characteristics on environmental behaviour: A review

Burton¹

2014

Journal of Environmental Management

197

104

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Many agricultural studies have observed a relationship between farmer demographic characteristics and environmental behaviours. These relationships are frequently employed in the construction of models, the identification of farmer types, or as part of more descriptive analyses aimed at understanding farmers' environmental behaviour. However, they have also often been found to be inconsistent or contradictory. Although a considerable body of literature has built up around the subject area, research has a tendency to focus on factors such as the direction, strength and consistency of the relationship -leaving the issue of causality largely to speculation. This review addresses this gap by reviewing literature on 4 key demographic variables: age, experience, education, and gender for hypothesised causal links.Overall the review indicates that the issue of causality is a complex one. Inconsistent relationships can be attributed to the presence of multiple causal pathways, the role of scheme factors in determining which pathway is important, inadequately specified measurements of demographic characteristics, and the treatment of non-linear causalities as linear. In addition, all demographic characteristics were perceived to be influenced (to varying extents) by cultural-historical patterns leading to cohort effects or socialised differences in the relationship with environmental behaviour. The paper concludes that more work is required on the issue of causality.

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Section: Gendermentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of farmer demographic characteristics on environmental behaviour: A review

Burton¹

2014

Journal of Environmental Management

197

104

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“…Surveys of the wider female farm population have found women emphasize not only the environmental and economic benefits of sustainable agriculture, but are also more likely to emphasize the link between agriculture and community sustainability and well-being (Chiappe & Flora, 1998;Feldman & Welsh, 1995;Trauger, 2004;Trauger, Sachs, Barbercheck, Kiernan, Brasier, & Findeis, 2008). Some of these gendered values have been correlated with specific farm structures, including the prevalence of, and preference for, cooperative farm markets, direct marketing, value-adding, and craft development among women operators as opposed to large-scale commodity agriculture activities.…”

Section: Gender and Sexmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farm Adaptation at the Rural-Urban Interface

Inwood

Clark

2013

JAFSCD

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Despite population growth and development at the rural-urban interface (RUI), agriculture continues to persist there. This resilience is partially a reflection of land use policies and market support programs designed to protect farm and ranch land that is vulnerable to nonfarm development. Studies examining the RUI primarily focus on the diversity of production and markets and do not discuss the diversity of operators. As the farmland protection and food systems movements continue to refine policy objectives and decide how to allocate scarce resources, it is critical to have up-to-date statistics on the health and vitality of agriculture at the RUI. Using the 2007 Census of Agriculture statistics, we examine (1) the spatial distribution by county of high-value production and marketing practices assumed to play a role in the persistence and vitality of agriculture at the RUI; and (2) the demographic characteristics of farmers in these counties. We find that only some types of highvalue production and marketing systems are more prevalent in metropolitan regions, including horses, nursery-greenhouse, and direct sales, while organic production, recreation sales, CSA farms, and valueadded farms are more likely to be concentrated in nonmetropolitan counties. We also find that farmers at the RUI are extremely diverse and that a substantial number of beginning and women farmers are found in nonmetropolitan counties, along with a small but notable number of African American, Hispanic and Native American farmers.

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“…Government conservation organizations can also build from complementary research into extension efforts with women farmers (Liepins and Schick 1998;Brasier et al 2009;Barbercheck et al 2009) and research into the particular conservation needs and goals of women farmers (Trauger et al 2008;Barbercheck et al 2012), as well as research on the decision-making of women landowners (Wells and Eells 2011). Conservation staff should remember that familiarity breeds success-conservation staff who have more and closer contact with female farmers have a better understanding of their unique challenges and are better able to work successfully with them (Brasier et al 2009;Barbercheck et al 2009)-and that networking matters-women crave the opportunity to talk with, learn from, and teach other women (Barbercheck et al 2009;Krouse 2009;Trauger et al 2008).…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conservation staff should remember that familiarity breeds success-conservation staff who have more and closer contact with female farmers have a better understanding of their unique challenges and are better able to work successfully with them (Brasier et al 2009;Barbercheck et al 2009)-and that networking matters-women crave the opportunity to talk with, learn from, and teach other women (Barbercheck et al 2009;Krouse 2009;Trauger et al 2008). We applaud the efforts of the Iowa Department of Agriculture, NRCS, and County Conservation Districts in the Clear Creek Watershed to hold a women landowners meeting and emphasize farmerto-farmer networks.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of gender on agricultural conservation knowledge and attitudes in an Iowa watershed

Druschke¹,

Secchi²

2014

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

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Female agricultural land ownership and operatorship are on the rise in Iowa and across the nation, but little research exists that explores agricultural conservation outreach to women and gendered differences in conservation knowledge and attitudes. The authors surveyed all agricultural landowners and operators in the Clear Creek Watershed in eastern Iowa about conservation knowledge and attitudes, as well as preferred sources of information about conservation. Clear Creek is a high-visibility watershed for conservation outreach for several reasons, including its long-standing watershed stakeholder council and its connection to the impaired Iowa River. Analysis of the survey results demonstrated that female respondents had significantly lower levels of knowledge about best management practices and significantly more positive attitudes towards conservation and collaboration than men. Meanwhile, women looked to the same sources for conservation information as male respondents, including neighbors, friends, and conservation agencies like the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Cooperative Extension, and the Farm Service Agency. These gendered results have significant consequences for the future of agricultural conservation practice and policy and for the subsequent health of the nation's soils and waterways. While lacking in knowledge about specific conservation practices, female respondents valued conservation practices, looked to government agencies for information about conservation, and expressed interest in collaborating with government entities for conservation on their land. Agricultural conservation practitioners can use these findings to tailor outreach efforts that will more effectively reach the nation's female landowners and operators. Key words: conservation-farmer attitudes-female landowners-female operatorsgender-watershed managementThe times they are a-changin': female agricultural land ownership and operatorship are on the rise in Iowa, and female agricultural landowners and operators may have different conservation outreach needs than their male counterparts. Shifts in land ownership mean that Iowa women now own a majority of the rented farmland in Iowa and own or co-own just under half of Iowa's overall farmland (Duffy and Smith 2008), while single women own a full fifth of Iowa's farmland (Clayton 2009). Female operatorship is on the rise across the state and nationwide (USDA NASS 2009). Meanwhile, throughout the agricultural Midwest, conservation staff and policymakers are under increasing pressure to understand who conserves soil and water and how best to reach them. However, relatively little research exists that works to understand how female agricultural landowners and operators might differ from their male counterparts when it comes to conservation. This is an issue likely to become more and more important as agricultural production in the United States intensifies to meet increasing global demand for food, feed, fiber, and fuel. To help fill this research gap, in 2010 we dis...

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Agricultural education: Gender identity and knowledge exchange

Cited by 95 publications

References 45 publications

The influence of farmer demographic characteristics on environmental behaviour: A review

The influence of farmer demographic characteristics on environmental behaviour: A review

Farm Adaptation at the Rural-Urban Interface

The impact of gender on agricultural conservation knowledge and attitudes in an Iowa watershed

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