The Female Farmer Project™ along with North by Northwest Studio
present a story that is long overdue to be told.
In the fields and barns across America are the stories of farmers — the talented, tenacious stewards of the land who have grown our food for generations. But while agriculture is the foundation of our civilization and the backbone of our nation, the story has only been half-told. Depicted through the eyes of men, the history of agriculture in the United States is incomplete. We are missing our heroines — the women who have farmed, who have loved the land, who have sacrificed and made immeasurable impacts on farming and food in America.
Throughout American history, women have been the hands keeping America fed, clothed, and sheltered. Native women led their communities as farmers and true homemakers. Female settlers kept the farm fields productive and their neighbors fed. And it was women who kept the nation’s farmland plowed and planted throughout decades of crisis and two world wars. Today, in fields and on farms across the United States, women continue to demonstrate that same determination. According to the 2012 Agriculture Census, more than 280,000 of all primary farm operators are women, and a total of one million women work in the agriculture industry.
Since 1982, the number of female-led farms has nearly tripled, and women now constitute farming’s fastest growing demographic.
Their stories have gone untold — until now.
Audra Mulkern, founder, writer and photographer for The Female Farmer Project™, will host the story. Her work has been featured, published and exhibited globally. The collection was recently in exhibition at United Nations in New York.
At this early stage, we’ve raised enough money to begin funding productions costs which has allowed us to begin filming. While we just completed a successful crowdfunding campaign, it’s only the beginning, and we’re looking for help from partners passionate about completing America’s agricultural story by finally elucidating the integral role woman have played through the ages into present day.