Women in Agriculture in Wicklow.

The Role of Women on Wicklow Farms - Research Report 2005

Wicklow County Development Board identified the role of women in agriculture as a priority issue in the drafting of its 10-year Strategic Plan Outlook (2002). As a result, two strategic actions were included in the Sustainable Communities Section of the Plan. This forms the background to the research project documented in this report.

In Ireland the lack of information on farm-women was first officially highlighted as an issue in the Report of the 4th Joint Oireachtas Committee on Women;s Rights (1994). This report noted that the Census of Agriculture did not adequately provide for the recording of part-time or unpaid work by women on farms resulting in the "non-recognition of womens' economic contribution to farming and rural life in general".

Driving its agenda for women in agriculture, WRP facilitated a group to attend the IFA Equality for Women Measure Conference in September 2003. Following this a focus group was formed to develop an action plan. It was agreed that Action 15 of the CDB's Plan Outlook should be implemented by commissioning survey-based research. The research objectives, as clarified by an Advisory Group in consultation with the research team, were:

• To describe and document the lives of women who live and work on farms in Wicklow and to:
  
• Quantify their contribution to farm business.
  
• Understand their position on a range of issues relevant to farming and to farm women.
  
• Ascertain their views on the potential impact of the recent Fischler reforms and the contribution women can make to farming as it evolves post de-coupling of payments from production.
• To provide local agencies (in particular WRP itself) with information that will guide the development of the programme and services for women on farms in Wicklow.
• To go some way towards bridging the information gap about women in agriculture in Ireland with a view to influencing future policy-making.

The Research Approach
An Advisory Group, comprised of local farm women and the commissioning organisations undertook to
oversee the development of a questionnaire, which was posted to 1506 women living on farms in Wicklow.

A major task was to identify the target group using both the electoral register and local knowledge. The key to maximising the return of the questionnaire was an awareness campaign, the main elements of which were flyers, posters and press releases resulting in local and national press and radio coverage. Focus groups organised on a regional basis, allowed for a deepening of the information gathered through the returned questionnaires.

Key Findings

• 89% of respondents living on farms in Wicklow are involved in the work of the farm business.
  
• Farm administration/accounts and banking ranked highest in terms of women's involvement. Animal care ranked second highest.
  
• In excess of 40% of respondents also work offfarm.
  
• Over 53% of respondents who work off-farm do so to supplement farm income.
• Over 50% of respondents share jointly in all decisions related to the farm business.
• A high percentage of the women surveyed own or jointly own the farms they live on.
  
• Women on farms in Wicklow want to explore alternative on-farm enterprises and, through this research, registered a high interest in obtaining information and advice on the range of possibilities.
  
• Farm-women experience a low level of support from the Department of Agriculture and Food, the government and most farming organisations in relation to their role on farm.
  
• Women would like to see more opportunities being created to facilitate networking.
  
• Over 40% of the women surveyed do not expect the successor to the farm to continue farming.
  
• Almost 75% expect the successor to the farm to have off-farm employment in addition to working on the farm.
  

Recommendations

• It is recommended that the existing Steering Group remain in existence and co-opt expertise as necessary in the implementation of the recommendations.
  
• Adequate funding to be secured in order to achieve significant progress in implementing the recommendations in co-operation with existing resources available.
  
• In presenting this report to the Department of Agriculture and Food, the commissioning organisations should encourage the Department to undertake similar research on a national basis.
  
• An exploration of experiences and strategies in other EU member states to promote alternative on-farm activities, particularly those targeted at women, would be useful.
  
• It is recommended that an Inter-Departmental Committee be established to continously review and publish progress on the report from the Advisory Committee on the Role of Women in Agriculture and to actively progress the participation of women in Agriculture in policy development at national level.
• The Report should be circulated as widely as possibly, in the first instance to the women of Wicklow and all other relevant persons, groups, and organisations at local, national and EU level.
  
• The relevant agencies should immediately devise a strategy to meet the information needs of the farm-women in Wicklow, in particular in relation to alternative on-farm activities and enterprises.
• An inter-agency working group should assess the suitability of existing training programmes and support new training initiatives to address the specific needs of rural and farm women.
  
• Priority should be given to facilitate consultation and participation of women in relation to the future development of farming at county and national level.
  
• Support should be given to any initiative within the county or at national level towards the establishment of farm women's network or discussion groups.
  
• It is recommended that WRP produce a report on the progress of the actions undertaken and the implementation of the recommendations contained in this report to coincide with the end of the current LEADER + Programme December 2006.

Beyond Statistics
Farm-women in Wicklow enjoy and are committed to farming. While this is not a statistical finding of the survey, it manifested itself as a very strong response that came across continuously throughout the research. Alongside their frustration at the official lack of recognition of their contribution to farming, they spoke of their love of the land and the animals, and of their regret at the bureaucratic, political, and economic changes that have changed the nature of farm life. They spoke too of their desire to see young people involved in farming and of their own ideas for new farm enterprises.

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Wicklow Rural Partnership Ltd., Saville House, Saville's Cross, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow, Ireland.
Tel: +353 404 46977, Fax: + 353 404 46978, Email: info@wicklowleader.ie