We've Always Been Here- The Story of Women in Farming
by Michal Lewis
Women have always taken an essential part in farming: around the world and in Wales.
Yet in the past, women received little recognition for their work, being addressed as the “Farmer’s wives/daughters”.
In 2025, women are no longer in the background of the farming industry- owning farms, taking leadership roles, and creating meaningful conversations in a field that to this day is often considered male-dominated.
In this blog post, we will tell the story of women in farming— from the past to the present.
Some Key Historical Moments
1899- The Women’s Farm and Garden Association (WFGA) was founded to provide education and employment opportunities for women working on farms.
1908- The National Farmers’ Union was established.
1917- The Women’s Land Army (WLA) was set up during WWI and remained active during WWII. Britain needed to grow more food domestically due to the war, and women took central roles in farming to free up men so that they could go fight in the war; women were recruited to work in the fields- milking cows, digging ditches, sowing seeds and harvesting.
1943- Nearly 5,000 Welsh women joined the WLA, contributing to the war efforts.
1945- ‘Lend a Hand to the Land’- This campaign encouraged people to help with food production and agricultural efforts in the post-war years. Whilst it was not specifically aimed at women, they did have significant involvement.
Credit - Minette Batters photographed for the Moorlander
Present day
Today, women keep on breaking glass ceilings in the farming industry, redefining what it is to be women in farming every single day.
In 2018, Minette Batters was elected as the first female president of the National Farmers’ Union, 110 years after its establishment.
In 2019, Stella Owens established the “She Who Dares Farms” conference. The conference aims to bring together women who work in the farming industry to share their experiences, knowledge and ideas, and to showcase the importance and presence of women within the industry.
Credit - NFU Cymru
Meanwhile, in Stump, our team is also curated from a collection of wonderful women, who are the core of our charity and who lead change for nature and the climate in their day-to-day. They show us, every single day, what is possible through their brilliant, admirable work.
"We have always been here"
Credit - Kate's Country Farm