ATHENS, Ga. — If you’re like most Americans, you probably don’t give too much thought to where your food comes from. And you likely pay even less attention to the people who supply it.
But recent research from the University of Georgia suggests the unique stresses from farm life may be taking a toll on one of the pillars of the families that make your dinners possible: the women who keep farming families running.
“If we don’t control our food sources, we don’t control our health and safety,” said Anna Scheyett, lead author of the study and a professor in UGA’s School of Social Work. “It’s a matter of national security that farmers survive in the United States. And one of the big factors in helping farms survive is women.”
Women vital in farming, on and off the agricultural field
The researchers held six focus group sessions with more than two dozen women married to farmers in rural Georgia and found that the women often take care of everything but the farm, managing housework, yardwork and child care.
Two-thirds of them also work outside the home, and many manage the books for their family farms and work the land themselves on top of their careers.
While the women agreed that raising their families on a farm was a uniquely challenging experience, they wouldn’t change their lives and they don’t want your pity.
Still, a little recognition of their contribution to securing the U.S. food supply could go a long way, the researchers said.
“I’d love to see a campaign thanking farmers and their families for their service to the country,” Scheyett said. “They put their bodies on the line every day so we can eat and live. The least we could do is say ‘thank you.’”
Published by the Journal of Rural Mental Health, the study was co-authored by Andrea Garcia and Ian Marburger, of UGA’s School of Social Work, and Stephanie Hollifield and Andrea Scarrow, of UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
–Leigh Hataway, University of Georgia
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