Women Farmer and Landowner Learning Circles: Addressing Sustainability in a Changing Climate

Women Farmer and Landowner Learning Circles: Addressing Sustainability in a Changing Climate

Summary

We held a series of learning circles of women farmers and landowners in eastern Nebraska, co-led by agricultural professionals at the Center for Rural Affairs and farmer-leaders, that provided sustainable farming and conservation education and outreach.

The learning circles provided education on successful and sustainable production in a changing climate. Whether beginning or established farmers, experienced landowners or new to management, we have seen that women on farms largely share a commitment to environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Most raise a combination of specialty crops and small livestock, often with organic practices. In an increasingly unpredictable climate, it is critical that women farmers and landowners gain the production and conservation knowledge and resources to keep their farms thriving and protect the environment.

Learning circles are an important, innovative method for giving participants the knowledge, confidence, and support they need to enact change. In addition to learning from experts, our group engaged in peer-to-peer learning. Participating women are considered the “experts” on their own production, farmland, and conservation needs, and were encouraged to speak about their own experiences and goals rather than passively listen to a professional in a traditional lecture format. This format builds knowledge and confidence.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Objective 1: Build a self-sustaining community of women farmers and landowners of varying skill and experience levels with strong internal leadership

Objective 2: Enable peer learning, mentoring, and networking among learning circle participants

Objective 3: Provide expert education and resources to women farmers and landowners to address sustainable production and conservation in today’s changing climate

Objective 4: Connect participants to experts to encourage long-term partnerships that will provide ongoing resources for climate change adaptation and sustainable production.

Accomplishments/Milestones

We held 4 learning circle meetings this year. Each meeting was hosted by a woman at a women-owned or operated farm in Eastern Nebraska. The women who were hosts were women that are considered experts in their fields. There was a time for peer instruction and learning during the facilitated discussion. Women stayed after the learning circle for a potluck and networking.  Combined the learning circles had 66 women participate. The women varied in age and nationality.  

Objective 1: Build a self-sustaining community of women farmers and landowners of varying skill and experience levels with strong internal leadership.  During our meetings we saw women exchanging contact info with each other and heard conversations of women following up on things they had mentioned during the potluck portion. This year we are taking this informal network that was created and making a Facebook group for women to connect and share knowledge. Facebook was the main platform used for promoting the learning circles. Attendees shared the event among their own social media circles and in groups they belonged to. It was very successful way to reach our audience.  With that in mind, we plan on unveiling this Facebook group when we announce the schedule for year 2. The women have started to connect themselves and that showed up in the evaluations as well. One participant commented about the community created saying, “While the technicalities are useful, the community will be more important for my business.”

Objective 2: Enable peer learning, mentoring, and networking among learning circle participants

At each learning circles women were able to learn from each other and ask each other questions.  These women all shared what they could and built on the topic of the circle. Through our evaluations we saw time and time again that the peer learning, networking and mentor situations that arose were important to the women that participated. Comments included, “I feel like I am in the right place,” and “I love to hear others talk about successes and failures. And each is a learning experience.”

Objective 3: Provide expert educationand resources to women farmers and landowners to address sustainable production and conservation in today’s changing climate.

Sustainable growing and climate change were at the center of every learning circle.  Women farmer hosts were able to talk about ways to mitigate the risks of climate change, carbon sequestering as well as sustainable growing. The final learning circle was held at the WFAN (Women Food and Ag Network) conference. The focus this year was Women and Permaculture: Making a Living in Harmony with the Land. There were sessions on policy, sustainable carbon sequestering, as well as marketing and business related topics. We had 13 women involved with our learning circles attend and were able to make new connections to women in the area. They were thrilled to learn of sustainable techniques and to find out there were other women who were farming with the environment in mind.  From the evaluations: “The most important takeaway I have is that there are other women experimenting in sustainable ag and starting farm businesses,” and, “It is empowering. I feel more capable after talking with these women.”

Objective 4: Connect participants to experts to encourage long-term partnerships that will provide ongoing resources for climate change adaptation and sustainable production.

Climate change, and the experts that are resources, were present throughout the learning circles. We offered materials from a local RC&D and NRCS was also represented. The WFAN conference had numerous experts in one place, allowing our Learning Circle participants to connect with the experts they needed.  One participant commented, “Made great connections to ask follow up questions. Appreciate the chance to networks with other women.”

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

One of the impacts that we noticed was that we were able to plug in new members into the WFAN organization.  This is a powerful network of women farmers and food leaders.  2016 was a key year for WFAN, it was the first time the conference had been held in a state other than Iowa.  Nebraska was a new audience for them and it was important for Nebraska women to show up. WFAN will remain a continued resource as they continue to increase their reach with plate to policy and additional webinars this year. This conference also brought more women engaged in sustainable ag and resources available to them together in one place that some of our women otherwise would not have had exposure too.

SARE Learning Circle Paper Clips 2-28-2017 (1)

SARE Learning Circle Clips 2-28-2017 (1)

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