£250,000 to help break down barriers for women in Scottish agriculture

The Scottish government has awarded £250,000 to help break down the day to day barriers which limit the impact women have in the agriculture sector.

The funding comes as the Women in Agriculture Task Force publishes its one year progress report, which worked closely with organisations across the sector to achieve a more equitable future.

The report highlights the need to improve access for women to relevant training, increase the presence of women in leadership roles and encourage rural bodies to advance gender equality.

Some of the funding will be used to deliver appropriate training and develop a Charter for businesses and organisations to sign up to show their support for involving more women at all levels

Announcing the funding, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said the contribution of women within farming is often "overlooked".

“This must change and we must better recognise the vital and significant role women play in these sectors to ensure we are benefiting from the full range of skills and experience available to us,” Mr Ewing said.

“This report adds to the growing body of research that clearly demonstrates that equality and cohesion are beneficial to our economy. I welcome the recommendation for more women to be in leadership positions, the need to create better training pathways for women, and am interested to learn more about how an industry charter could work.

Mr Ewing announced that the Scottish government will release £250,000 towards helping realise equal opportunity for all in a "progressive farming culture".

'Skills and confidence'

Joyce Bannerman Campbell, Co-chair of the Women in Agriculture Taskforce said the overall aim of the group is to make sure women have the "skills and confidence" to take on leadership rolls.

“Looking forward, we will explore the issue of succession planning, whether available training meets the needs of women, and the potential of establishing an industry charter, which recognises good practice and equality,” Ms Bannerman said.

It follows news of statistics showing how women are increasingly playing a part in leading agricultural innovation to enhance British farming.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Labour Force Survey, women now make up one third of the agricultural sector’s traditionally male-dominated workforce, having increased by 7% over the last decade.