St. Louis, Missouri, USA
October 15, 2015

October 15 each year marks the International Day of Rural Women, a time to celebrate the contribution of women to the production of food and fibre around the world.

There can be no question that there is great diversity in the experiences of rural women everywhere. The rural Vietnamese woman tending to a small plot of land from which her family and community must eat is an entirely different experience to the rural Australian woman, who might go to work on a broadacre cropping farm each day whose product is exported to markets all over the world.

Yet the differences in the experiences of these two women really only exist on the surface.  At the heart of it, both women are driven by a common purpose – to feed, clothe and earn a living.  Both women are agricultural producers and both women play a critical role in the wellbeing of individuals, families and rural communities worldwide.  Both women are key drivers of agricultural development and economic productivity.  

As a sustainable agricultural company, Monsanto Australia is proud of the fact that women make up over half of our local workforce.  Women are employed in a diverse range of roles in our business, from technology development, to human resources, sales and commercial. But what unites them, like the women above, is the knowledge that their work, as the UN says, “is crucial not only for the progress of rural households and local economies, but also for national economies through rural women’s participation in agricultural value chains”.[1]

We asked three Monsanto women, each of whom represents different parts of the agricultural value chain, for their reflections on the International Day of Rural Women.  Kristen Knight, Monsanto’s Entomologist, hopes to be a role model to other young women so that they see a career in agriculture is exciting and offers many opportunities.  Kristen believes that “as a society, especially in developing countries, we need to ensure women are given education and business support so that they can contribute in agriculture either on their own farms or in agricultural businesses”. 

Rachel Palumbo was the daughter of a veggie grower and is now Commercial Lead for Monsanto’s Vegetables business in Australia and New Zealand. Rachel sees that women are often the backbone of many good family farmers which is something that doesn’t get recognised enough.  “I think recognition of the contribution of women in farm work is coming to the front more and more,” Rachel said.

“Globally, women are not recognised as they should be for the role they play in the food chain. I think there is a real opportunity for us to promote that diversity – not only in Australia but in other markets,” Rachel said.

Merry Errington is a Cotton Agronomic & Trait specialist who has found that women in agriculture bring a diversity of perspective and has “seen first hand the passion and energy rural women bring to local communities even through they are often the unsung heroes”. Merry sees agriculture as “a fundamental part of every society worldwide which dominates so many people’s day to day lives.” 

“What better industry to be involved in as a woman who cares about the future of country and the world”. 

Kristen, Rachel and Merry are just three women of the many millions more worldwide working in agriculture.  Today we have the opportunity to formally recognise the critical role women like Kristen, Rachel and Merry play in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty the world over.

Website: http://www.monsanto.com

Published: October 15, 2015