Women in agriculture: Farming for our future1st International ConferenceUniversity of Melbourne1-3 July 1994Margaret AlstonCentre for Rural Social Research Charles Sturt University
This review was first published in Rural Society 4(2)1994. Rural Society is published by the Centre for Rural Social Research, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia.
This review is © copyright, the author and the Centre for Rural Social Research. This text may be downloaded for personal use, or stored electronically, as long as no charge is made for access. The text may not be altered in any way and all hard copy or electronic versions MUST carry this header.
Women in agriculture: Farming for our futureOver 850 delegates from 30 countries gathered in Melbourne from 1-3 July 1994 to discuss issues of enormous consequence for the future of global agriculture. In opening the conference, Governor General Bill Hayden announced it as the largest agriculture conference ever held in this country. For the developing Women in Agriculture network it was a remarkable achievement. In the words of the conference convenor, Mary Salce, a dairy farmer from Victoria, it marked 'the birth of a new era for women in agriculture . . . the conference gives us a chance to focus the attention of the whole community on the important role women play in agriculture'. The conference was made possible through support from government (Rural Access and Landcare funding), philanthropic groups (ANZ trustees, Sidney Myer Foundation and Stegley Foundation) and corporate concerns (including National Dairies and the Australian Wheat Board). Several organisations funded overseas delegates to attend - the largest grant coming from the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau (AIDAB). The conference theme 'Farming for our Future' allowed for the exploration of three key issues - Women in Agriculture; Production and Land; and Sustainable Development and Economics. The aims of the conference were to:
Dr Margaret Moxey, Professor of Bioethics at the University of Texas discussed the role of women in agriculture as agents of change (not victims), and their role in sustainable agriculture. Senator Bob Collins, Federal Minister for Primary Industry and Energy, offically welcomed delegates. He was asked by Mary Salce what he personally was doing to ensure women were equally represented on decision making bodies such as statutory marketing authorities. Senator Collins' reply was to list his efforts in enlisting two women to such boards. I think that he, along with all delegates, felt it was an effort that needed to be intensified. Dr Frances Kinnon, a member of the Paris-based Rural Development Secretariat of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers, gave the next address. She spoke of the international context facing agricultural producers, particularly in the post-GATT environment. GATT has brought producers closer to markets and into a global economy with far reaching effects. In developing countries the effects on traditional cultures have been extreme. Value systems and traditions have been challenged and the development of international agribusiness has necessitated development of strategies to strengthen the position of farmers. Many countries have introduced subsidy safety nets for their farmers in response to the post-GATT environment. The effects on environmental and ecological sustainability have also provoked concern and she saw the need for farmers to link up with environmental groups and consumers. Dr Kinnon noted that the burden of agricultural adjustment has fallen on women, particularly in developing countries. Like Dr Moxey, Dr Kinnon stressed that one of the cornerstones of sustainability is the alleviation of poverty. Marian Outtara, Program Officer at the United Nations Regional Office for Africa, spoke of the importance of agriculture in the African economy. Ms Outtara also made the link between environmental degradation and poverty: to achieve sustainable agricultural development, poverty must be arrested. The role of African women in agricultural production has always been important and is becoming even more vital to survival as men continue to migrate to the cities for work. Ecological destruction such as deforestation is seriously hampering women's efforts to feed their families. Women are becoming both victims and contributors of land degradation. The problems women have in attaining land ownership in Africa are monumental. Like their female counterparts in developed countries, they are denied access to credit and training. Women's efforts to plant trees are hampered not only by their lack of ownership of land, but also by an inability to obtain trees to plant. The United Nations Environment Program has been engaged in project activities with African women to improve ecological health. Ms Onattara recommended to the conference that African women be given ownership and control of land so that they can plant trees and produce food. She also noted that African countries need to develop their own energy generation. Sister Stella, a diminutive Indian nun from the Assisi region, was the next keynote speaker to address the conference on 'People-Centred Sustainable Agriculture in Southern India'. She spoke of her work with Indian farmers and the development of Assisi farm and the Pottal project, both aimed at regenerating land and developing sustainable agricultural production in peasant communes. She is also involved in the 'Kitchen Garden Concept' with Indian women. On small 100 square feet garden plots women are producing 1-1.5 kgs of vegetables per day for 250-300 days per year. Sister Stella reinforced the message of the conference by calling for harmony and sutainability in agricultural production as opposed to domination and degradation. In closing she noted that in her country and other developing countries the degradation of women is associated with the degradation of the land. Dr Marilyn Waring was the final keynote speaker in an action packed day. Marilyn is currently Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. She is also Executive Director of the Sisterhood is Global Institute. Always a dynamic speaker, Dr Waring delivered a powerful message to the conference. She began by declaring that she doesn't want affirmative action for women in politics - she wants equal representation and that cannot be achieved by tokenism. Dr Waring criticised United Nations accounting practices which seriously underrepresent and discount the labour of women. Women, she noted, work longer hours than men and do most of the subsistence tasks associated with agricultural production. Lack of recognition of this fact leads to inappropriate policies. In Australia 30% of the farm workforce is listed as female but, as she pointed out, statistics are dependent on how questionnaires are framed and current census questionnaires are inappropriate in assessing women's work. To describe many agricultural workers as 'housewives' has serious consequences for food security. Dr Waring pointed out that the obstruction of women by hindering their access to credit, land ownership and training has serious consequences for national development. In a global sense, extension services are directed at men and ignore gender divisions. In developing countries such policies have led to a doubling of women's work. In the area of primary health care no attention or recognition is given to the unpaid work of women. Rushing patients out of hospitals and restructuring psychiatric and aged care services has shifted much work to women working in an unpaid capacity. In conclusion Dr Waring noted that equity and efficiency are not mutually exclusive and farm women are integral to any attempts to meet the challenges for survival. After the three keynote speakers, three forum sessions over the three day conference allowed an additional 12 paper from speakers from around the globe. For me the paper by Chandra Kirana, an Indonesian academic, was the highlight of a rich tapestry of papers. Her vividly illustrated paper dealt with her personal experience of the death of her village culture and the loss of women's traditions and customs. It will live on with me and all who heard it. Her emotional address dealt with the imposition of cultural imperialism on developing countries. Her paper was much sought after by conference participants and will no doubt be published widely. Other notable speakers were Rosalie Turner, an Aboriginal scientist ('A wide brown land - Aboriginal links with country'); Janet Hunt ('GATT - global economy and the effects on women'); Cathy McGovern ('Farm women and politics'); and Maree McCaskill ('Why women in agriculture are their own worst enemies'). A series of action groups were run as well during the packed program. These sessions aimed to develop policies for the Fourth World Conference on Women at Beijing, China in September 1995. It was a privilege for me to be invited to run one of these sessions. It proved very stimulating as in my particular group five nationalities were represented. We worked together to draw up proposals for women on a global scale to work towards a sustainable agricultural system and to empower women in the process. Our proposals included:
On a lighter note the Australian Rural Woman of the Year Awards on Friday night added a touch of glamour and graciousness to the proceedings. A fitting winner of the inaugural award was named. She is a young South Australian woman who has a young family, works alongside her husband on the farm, works off the farm, contributes to her community and has established a profile for herself in agricultural politics. Without a doubt the First International Conference of Women in Agriculture was a momentous occasion. I suspect that farm women will no longer be content to remain unacknowledged and unaccepted as agricultural producers. A further international conference is to be held in Canada in 1996. The political implications of this movement of women in agriculture will change not only the way farming is portrayed but also will allow a new and fresh look at ecological harmony and sustainability. |
|
|
Maintained by Kate Roberts
|