Guide on virtual engagement for women in ag now available

American Farmland Trust (AFT) and Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) published information, tips and tools for effective engagement for online education in “Reaching Women in Agriculture: A Guide to Virtual Engagement.”

The guide includes hybrid settings for farm and ranch women on topics related to farm viability, resilience and conservation. Originally developed through a partnership with AFT and the University of Vermont Extension, the guide was recently updated, enhanced and published by SARE earlier in 2022.

“Reaching Women in Agriculture” shares that one of the reasons to create women-focused and women-only events – virtual or otherwise – is to establish a comfortable space for women-identifying individuals to find and access resources, information and networking they typically do not have easy access to in the agricultural services world. The goal is to create a safe space for women to learn from each other and gain confidence, rather than excluding men.

“The guidance in Reaching Women is born out of AFT’s Women for the Land initiative and the Learning Circle model which arose out of early partnerships with the Women Food and Agriculture Network,” said Gabrielle Roesch-McNally, Ph.D., guide author and AFT Women for the Land director. “Learning Circles, where women learn from other women in a setting with no visible hierarchy, have proven effective in engaging women landowners and producers in conversations about land management, particularly regarding agricultural best practices for soil health and water quality. The guide provides best practices for conducting this work in a virtual setting.”

The guide incorporates both the characteristics of high-quality programs for women in agriculture and the emerging best practices for adapting farmer education and networking events to virtual platforms. It shares innovative approaches and lessons learned from AFT efforts and the efforts of its partners to engage women in agriculture under the social distancing requirements associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. This work continues be critically important for outreach as AFT continues to integrate virtual engagement in its work as it moves beyond acute impacts associated with the pandemic. Rurality, large geographic expanses, expenses associated with childcare and transportation make virtual options for gathering an ongoing need for engaging women in agriculture.

The guide brings everything together in profiles of work done by partner organizations in the agricultural and natural resources field including:

• Elizabeth Lillard, Women in Conservation Leadership, National Wildlife Federation
• Maggie Norton, Practical Farmers of Iowa
• Caitlin Joseph and Ashley Brucker (also authors of this guide), Women for the Land Initiative at American Farmland Trust
• Cayla Bendel and Kim Cole, Pheasants Forever
• Jean Eells, E Resources Group, LLC
• Lisa Kivirist, formerly with In Her Boots, a program of the Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Service
• Wren Almitra, Women Food and Agriculture Network and Women, Land and Legacy

Download or order your free print copy of Reaching Women in Agriculture at https://sare.org/reaching-women or by calling (301) 779-1007.  ”Reaching Women in Agriculture” is available in quantity for free to educators for use in educational workshops, classes or tours.