Call for financial supports for women in agriculture

Published: Thursday, September 12, 2024

Feminist Communities for Climate Justice say Ireland needs a new approach to food production

Thursday 12th September 2024

Feminist Communities for Climate Justice (FCCJ) – a joint project between the National Women’s Council (NWC) and Community Work Ireland (CWI) – today highlighted the important role of women farmers for sustainable, local food production. FCCJ called on government to immediately increase funding and resources to women in agriculture as a key measure to achieve Ireland’s climate goals. This follows the EU Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture which also recently called on Member States to tailor financial services and resources to women in farming.

The call was made at a joint webinar with Feminist Communities for Climate Justice and Talamh Beo Women on Thursday. Speakers at the webinar highlighted the need for food policy that prioritises people’s health, as well as the health of the land and our communities. 

Collette McEntee, Project Co-ordinator for Feminist Communities for Climate Justice said:

“The vast majority of women farmers are small farmers, forming part of the 57% of all farmers who earned less than €20,000 in 2022. These farmers play an important role in producing locally grown, chemical free food which is good for people and for our planet. However, currently many women farmers and small farmers face significant barriers in accessing the financial supports they need. We are calling for urgent targeted funding schemes that recognise the specific issues experienced by women farmers and ensure the sustainability of small farms.”

Janet Power of Talamh Beo Women, said:

“Small farmers and women farmers are a critical part of us meeting our climate goals, and must be supported to diversify their farming, assist in restoring climate and bio-diversity land use, and to develop climate sustainable farm practices and food production.”

Vanessa Conroy, Project Officer for Feminist Communities for Climate Justice, said:

“Healthy, locally grown, organic food needs to be accessible to all. Access to food is not only a climate issue, it’s a political and equality issue. But our current food production system is not working for producers or purchasers. Current government and EU policies prioritise production-heavy agricultural practices, while more environmentally sustainable methods are financially inaccessible for many farmers. We need investment from government in local small farmers and supports to ensure they can produce chemical-free food that is accessible and affordable to the local community.”

Ends/
 

For comment: Collette McEntee, Vanessa Conroy or Janet Power

For more information, please contact Sinéad Nolan, Communications and Social Media Coordinator, on sineadn@nwci.ie
 

Notes to Editor:

Register for the “Feminist Communities for Local Food webinar” here.

Link to EU Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture: https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/common-agricultural-policy/cap-overview/main-initiatives-strategic-dialogue-future-eu-agriculture_en

About NWC

The National Women’s Council is the leading national representative organisation for women and women’s groups in Ireland, founded in 1973. We have over 190 member groups and a large and growing community of individual supporters.

The ambition of the National Women’s Council is an Ireland where every woman enjoys true equality and no woman is left behind. This ambition shapes and informs our work, and, with our living values, how we work.

We are a movement-building organisation rooted in our membership, working on the whole island of Ireland. We are also part of the international movement to protect and advance women’s and girls’ rights. Our purpose is to lead action for the achievement of women’s and girls’ equality through mobilising, influencing, and building solidarity. Find out more on www.nwci.ie

 

About CWI

Community Work Ireland (CWI) is the leading national organisation that promotes and supports community work and development as a means of addressing poverty, social exclusion and inequality and promoting human rights. CWI is a membership organisation of over 800 individuals and organisations who support community work and development and work in the most disadvantaged communities throughout Ireland. Since 2012, CWI has been working on climate justice with a series of publications and seminars on the topic and through their Climate Justice Working Group.

 

About Talamh Beo

Talamh Beo is a grassroots organisation of farmers, growers and land based workers on the island of Ireland. We aim to ensure a living landscape where people and ecosystems can thrive together. We believe that farmers and communities should be at the centre of decision-making for food and agriculture systems and developing agricultural policies. By joining Talamh Beo, you are joining an international movement working for agroecology and food sovereignty.