AMES, Iowa -- Women farmland owners have the potential to transform Iowa’s landscape and farm communities in significant and positive ways, given that women own or co-own nearly half of Iowa’s farmland and own or co-own more than half of Iowa’s leased agricultural land. This, coupled with research results from the Women, Land and Legacysm (WLL) listening sessions that show women are deeply committed to healthy farmland, farm families and farm communities, has great implications for the state of Iowa.
The USDA Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Iowa, in cooperation with the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, announce the availability of the publication Women, Land and Legacy: Results from the Listening Sessions. Farm service providers in both the public and private sector have an opportunity to use these results to incorporate women’s unique perspectives into farm management programs and services and thus more effectively serve the needs and enhance the strengths of women landowners.
WLL, which began in 2004, is an outreach project that brings Iowa farm women together at the local level to empower them to act on their landscapes and in their communities. Through WLL, existing and aspiring women farmland owners are forming local networks to gain access to resources, information and education to assist them in making decisions about their land and farming.
Derryl McLaren, state executive director for Iowa’s Farm Service Agency, says he is excited these results are being released. “The farmland ownership study shows that women have decision making authority over a high percentage of Iowa farmland (47-54 percent). There is a need to communicate agricultural women’s strengths and needs and how farm service providers can respond more effectively,” he said.
Cornelia Flora, director of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, says, “This research documents women landowners’ multiple-dimension approach to their land. Their concerns with the environment, community, and spirituality and their desire to balance it with financial stability, reveals the possibilities of more holistic approaches to land management and rural development.”
According to Richard Van Klaveren, state conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the publication includes input from more than 800 Iowa agricultural women. “These women have shared their thoughts regarding their relationship to the land, their dreams and visions for Iowa’s land, resources that have been helpful to them, and what resources and actions are needed locally to assist them in making sound decisions based on their values for their land, their families and their communities,” said Van Klaveren.
For a complete analysis and discussion of lessons learned from women attending the WLL listening sessions, access the full report online at http://www.ncrcrd.iastate.edu/wll.html. More information about the WLL project can be found at http://www.womenlandandlegacy.org.
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