Jeannette moderated a session at the Hawaii Agriculture Conference in Honolulu on Sept. 28, with a panel of 5 women farmers from the Island of Hawai’I, Kauai and Oahu, intended to provide a platform for women farmers’ perspectives to be heard.
Women farmers in the state of Hawaii make up about 36% of farmers, though they are often earning much less than men, due to the smaller average size of their farms. As well, many must hold additional jobs to survive, in addition to attending to the needs of children, elders and the household, thus reducing the amount of labor they are able to give to their farms. The session raised the question: How can we enable women farmers who want to farm, to be more productive and prosperous, and contribute to Hawai’I’s food security?
Themes that were raised by these farmers included how they often felt ‘invisible’, and their credibility questioned within networks of male farmers; they spoke of the value of women role models, and their needs for child care facilities and tools that fit their bodies. Benefits of being women included their strong connections to their communities and to caring for the land.