The first national farm inclusivity survey has been launched by the Women in Agriculture Stakeholders Group (WASG) in collaboration with the University of Limerick (UL).

The survey has the dual aims of assessing the effects of CAP reform on women in agriculture and identifying the challenges posed to inclusivity in farming communities.

Farmer and UL PhD scholar Mary Curtin will assist the WASG in undertaking the survey. Curtin’s work on the survey will support her studies into female farm ownership.

“I’m delighted to be working in collaboration with the WASG in bringing about change,” Curtin said on the launch of the initiative.

70,000 women

WASG chair Hannah Quinn-Mulligan emphasised the disparity in farm ownership between men and women, stating 70,000 women work on Irish farms each day.

“Just 13,000 women are ‘officially’ farming and in receipt of farm payments in Ireland, yet we also know from CSO figures that 70,000 women work on farms every day,” according to Quinn-Mulligan.

Quinn-Mulligan went on to invite both men and women to complete the short survey, which she said would be necessary to establish a benchmark against which measures intended on supporting women in agriculture could be measured.

“The survey is completely anonymous and takes less than five minutes to complete. We hope that both men and women will take part because their input will be invaluable in helping to shape future policy,” she said.

The survey can be found by clicking here.