Understanding women's perspectives and experience in sustainable agrifood systems in the Mid-South region of the United States

Women's participation in farming in the United States is increasing, with a notable concentration in the Mid-South region (Southern MO, eastern OK, northern AR, western TN, and KY). This region, marked by persistent economic challenges, exhibits low adoption rates of sustainable practices like USDA-certified organic farming. This presents a conundrum, as scholarship suggests women farmers often favor sustainable methods due to family and community nutrition motivations. Women characteristically manage smaller landholdings, rely on lower-input methods, and utilize direct-to-consumer markets. Despite this inclination, they face significant barriers, including limited access to resources, information, and extension services, along with challenges in gaining full acceptance of their farmer identities. This study investigates this paradox within an understudied and demographically deprived region. It explores the gendered perspectives of women farmers in the Mid-South's sustainable agrifood systems (SAFS) to identify factors constraining or enabling their empowerment. The three central questions are: a) How do women farmers perceive their relationships with various institutions, in managing resources for farming activities and business in the Midsouth region? b) What are their motivations, benefits, and constraints for participating in SAFS at various institutional levels? c) How do women farmers perceive their contributions within SAFS in this region? This exploratory case study uses constructivist ontology and interpretivist epistemology, emphasizing that reality is socially constructed and knowledge is gained by understanding the subjective, lived experiences of participants. For the case-study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 women farmers engaged in sustainable vegetable, crop, and livestock enterprises from across the region. Women participants were recruited using snowball sampling, with initial contacts gained from USDA’s National Organic Integrity database. Other initial contacts came from other certification schemes, such as Certified Naturally Grown. While sustainable agriculture was initially defined as having USDA Organic certification, this is a flawed proxy for indicating adoption of sustainable agriculture as snowball sampling revealed. In addition, it is likely that all the study participants identify as White; because demographic questions regarding race or income were not asked, nor was there specific outreach to Black or other underserved communities. The exclusion of non-White farmers was likely intensified by snowball sampling and is a limitation of the case study. Data were analyzed using a hybrid inductive-deductive thematic approach, guided by an analytical framework, ‘Gender Relation Framework for Women Farmers in Sustainable AgriFood Systems (GRFWF-SAFS)’, a synthesized framework integrating Kabeer's Social Research Approach (SRA) and Feminist Agrifood Systems Theory (FAST). The research findings suggest that adoption of sustainable agriculture in the Mid-South region and the rise in female farmers in the region is likely unrelated. Such a finding may reflect initial sampling as several pull and push factors influence how women orient themselves to adopting sustainable agricultural practices, including choosing not to certify. Moreover, it was difficult to target women farmers using sustainable practices such as cover cropping, where lack of data is an issue. Women in the sample who have been farming for more than a decade indicated they now see more women farmers in sustainable agriculture, potentially because of women obtaining relevant education and experiences, motivating them to pursue sustainable agriculture as a profession. Findings also suggest that women farmers in the Mid-South are dynamic agents of change, actively architecting a more resilient, community-focused, and ecologically sound agricultural paradigm. Their motivations are deeply rooted in a commitment to health, stewardship, and collaboration, and their innovative, relational business strategies respond to consumer demand for local food systems. Despite a collective vision for transforming food systems, their potential is systematically constrained by legacy systems. Key barriers identified include patriarchal landownership structures that create precarious access to land; inflexible economic and institutional frameworks that fail to support their unique business models; and pervasive socio-cultural norms that impose a "double shift" of farm and domestic labor while simultaneously questioning their credibility as farmers. The central conclusion of the study is that achieving a sustainable food system is inseparable from achieving genuine gender equity. Systemic barriers inhibiting women farmers weaken the entire agricultural landscape. Therefore, supporting women farmers through targeted policy reform, redesigned support services, and a cultural shift that recognizes their contributions is not merely an issue of social justice but a pragmatic prerequisite for building a healthy and sustainable food future. Notably, education and digital technology have played a crucial role in enabling women to navigate informational barriers and enhance market diversification. . Recommendations, based on the learning from women farmers’ experiences, include involving women in policy decisions, focusing on targeted education and land access, and developing the institutional standing of women’s organizations. Theoretically, this study proposes adding a new principle to Sachs et. al.’s (2016) Feminist Agrifood System Theory (FAST), “Defining Achievements by the women farmers in sustainable agrifood systems,” which is derived from the integration of Kabeer’s (1999) Social Relations Approach into FAST. Methodologically, it contributes the Gendered Sustainable Agriculture Pathways (GSAP) Model for identifying opportunities for enhancing the situation of women farmers by strengthening the “gender relations” to the resources.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Rural Sociology

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Missouri--Columbia

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Srivastava, Garima

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Qin, Hua
• Hendrickson, Mary

Language dc:language.iso

eng, English

DOI

https://doi.org/10.32469/10355/111018

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/111018