Learning circles increase women's knowledge and involvement as agricultural landowners

Women are a critical group of agricultural landowners, making up over two-thirds of non-operating landowners (NOLs), or those who own the land but do not operate it themselves. Previous literature has shown that women NOLs (WNOLs) face more gender barriers than their male counterparts regarding implementing long-term sustainable practices on their land. To combat this issue, the learning circle educational approach helps WNOLs build upon their knowledge of conservation by creating a community of individuals with a commonality that learn from one another. The purpose of this study was to understand the challenges women face as agricultural landowners and the benefits of the learning circle educational approach. Specifically, the researchers sought to answer three questions: what challenges women face as agricultural landowners; what women find to be the most useful aspects of the learning circle educational approach; and what actions the women have implemented as a result of the information gained from the learning circles.

The researchers first conducted a literature review of research on the challenges WNOLs face and confirmed that female agricultural landowners face more challenges than their male counterparts. These challenges include being less likely to be involved in decisions about conservation practices on their land, lacking access to agricultural information, and having less interaction with natural resource agency offices and state and federal conservation programs. The researchers found that because of these challenges, WNOLs often lack the confidence to implement conservation practices on their land. Overall, previous research revealed multiple barriers for WNOLs to enter the conservation space, including power relationships and gender dynamics.

The Women, Food and Agriculture Network created Women Caring for the Land, a program that hosted women-only learning circle opportunities in the Midwest. The purpose of these learning circles was to strengthen women landowners' knowledge about conservation and empower them to take sustainable actions on their farmlands. Between 2014 and 2017, 43 learning circles were held in Illinois and Indiana. A total of 218 women who took part in these events. The events started with an open discussion, an introduction from each individual, and lessons on technical subjects such as soil sustainability practices. The women then attended a field tour and informational presentation conducted by other landowners. The learning circles ended with a brief wrap-up discussion and evaluation of the event.

The researchers contacted all learning circle participants to take part in an interview. All participants with available contact information were contacted three times via email and once by phone. The researchers interviewed 130 participants between 2016-2017. Only the responses from the women who classified as WNOLs and rented their land to a farm operator, were included in this study, resulting in 73 total participants. The researchers analyzed the interviews for themes.

The researchers found that learning circle educational approach was a successful educational tool in increasing WNOL's knowledge and involvement as agricultural landowners. In addition, the researchers found that WNOLs became more involved with practices on their land after the learning circles.

Similar to what was found in the literature reviews, the researchers concluded that WNOLs faced unique challenges as women landowners. The researchers found that one of the most prevalent challenges WNOLs faced was a lack of agricultural knowledge. For example, many of the participants mentioned that they had been thrown into the role of landowner and perceived that men were taught about this role from a young age. Additionally, many of the participants who gave information about landowner-renter relationships acknowledged that they had ceded their power as a landowner and a decision-maker to a male. The results are in line with previous research, specifically regarding how gender barriers underlie the challenges women face in being landowners and decision-makers for their land.

The participants indicated that the the most useful aspects of the learning circles were the hands-on experiences, meeting other WNOLs and learning from their experiences, and learning about cover crops. The researchers discovered that a majority of the participants took some form of action on their land after the learning circle event. These included talking with their renter about implementing conservation practices on their land, implementing actual conservation practices on their land, and talking with their family about what they learned at the meeting.

This study had limitations. It focused on the Midwest, and gender dynamics in agriculture may vary regionally; consequently, the success of learning circles may vary by region as well. Additionally, the women who agreed to take part in the study could have had stronger opinions about the learning circles and therefore were more inclined to participate in the interviews. The results of this study are specific to these participants. Another study in another location may produce different results.

The researchers provided various recommendations, including that the learning circle educational approach can be an effective strategy in educating women agricultural landowners on conservation practices. EE practitioners could implement the learning circle approach into their programs to promote discussion among participants and build a sense of community among one another. Additionally, learning circles can be utilized to decrease the gender barriers women face in implementing and achieving sustainable practices.