Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 October 2023
432. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the highlighting pathways to empower rural women to have sustainable and equitable livelihoods in farming, HER-SELF, research project; when it is envisaged same will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46501/23]
View answerIn September of last year, my Department launched "The Policy and Strategic Studies Research Call" for proposals for several research projects, one of which focused on “Women in Farming – Examining the visibility, equality and status of women in farming in Ireland”.
The "Highlighting pathways to Empower Rural women to have Sustainable & Equitable Livelihoods in Farming" (HER-SELF) project was selected as the successful proposal.
The study aims to:
• Analyse existing data on farm income, payments, and capital investments.
• Gain insights on the daily lives of women farmers and women working in the agricultural sector of all ages.
• Identify barriers and enabling factors experienced by women training and working in the agricultural sector.
• Identify any geographical differences by region or county in the participation levels, incomes and experiences of women involved in agriculture.
• Establish a baseline position on women in farming and the agriculture sector, providing evidence for future policy interventions and strategies to enhance the role of women in the sector going forward.
Related objectives of the study include:
• To draw on existing literature and data on the roles and experiences of women in agriculture, challenges, and enabling factors/conditions.
• To undertake interviews and focus groups to better understand the differential experiences of women in agriculture across various demographics.
• To review existing skills gaps, dissemination and facilitation methodologies and propose technical knowledge transfer applications.
• To document the levels of female representation in agricultural organisations and underlying reasons for same.
• To map the female experience in agriculture to ensure any geographical differences that might exist are subject to a more targeted policy response.
• To produce future policy recommendations based on the findings at national/local levels.
HER-SELF commenced in May of this year, with the first stakeholders meeting taking place in early September. The final report is expected at the end of the 12-month period envisaged for the project, in Q2 2024.
