Farmers’ input sought for national inclusivity survey

Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that the share of female farm holders has increased by just 1% since 2010. Picture: iStock

The Women in Agriculture Stakeholders Group and the University of Limerick (UL) have teamed up to carry out a national farm inclusivity survey.

According to the group, diversity and inclusivity are “still major challenges” for the agriculture sector.

Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that the share of female farm holders has increased by just 1% since 2010.

It is intended that the survey will serve to benchmark the progress of policy measures and provide an indication of the challenges faced by the community in terms of inclusivity.

“Just 13,000 women are ‘officially’ farming and in receipt of farm payments in Ireland, yet we also know from CSO figures that 70,000 women work on farms every day,” said Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, chairwoman of the group.

The inclusivity survey is being undertaken with the collaboration of Mary Curtin, a PhD scholar at UL who is currently examining female farm ownership from a legal, financial, social, and cultural standpoint.

Both men and women are encouraged to take part in the online survey.

The survey, which the group said is the first of its kind, is anonymous and should take less than five minutes to complete.