“Guess you need permission from your man”

As I am finishing up this issue of Women in Ag Mag and gearing up for the upcoming Women in Ag Awards at Agritechnica, this remark comes to mind. Just when I was honestly wondering what I would say if someone asked me why I wanted a separate award ceremony for women in agriculture, or why I started a magazine for them.

It was one of the last sweltering days of the early September heatwave. My partner and I decided we’d visit a flea market that Sunday morning. There would be a stand where you could exchange plant cuttings, so we brought four coleus cuttings – we are obsessed with them – just in case we found some interesting new plants. I am what the internet would call a crazy plant lady. Funny how the internet coined an expression for women, but none for men. As he went back to the car to get our plants to swap, I turned my attention to a plant I did not recognize. The man from the stand assumed I was interested, and when I told him I didn’t know whether I’d take it because I wanted my partner to have a look first, he laughed and said “oh, guess you need permission from your man!”

I was slightly overcooked from the heat at that point and couldn’t find any witty retorts, but replied with a simple “no, he likes plants as much as I do and I want him to see whether he likes this one or not.” Antoon got back, he liked the plant, we swapped it for one of ours and were off. However, the remark stuck with me.

It might seem like nothing to you. A joke, an innocent assumption. To me, it’s a – admittedly mild – symptom of a bigger issue. Women are the ones who obsess over plants and their annoyed men indulge us, right? To me, this is just another expression of the “women are caretakers – men are decision-makers” stereotype. It expressed to me that however far we think we’ve come (and we have!), perception of women is still different.

An example from agriculture? Sure. My partner is currently finishing up the pictures he took for our other magazine, Hectares, which helps produce the Boerinnenkalender or “women farmer calendar”, an initiative by a bunch of amazing women farmers who want to contribute to a good cause. As a sneak peek, he posted a reel of a farmer sitting in her old timer tractor, on the Hectares Instagram page. The response to this picture was very different from the ones he usually gets. Almost immediately, he got a bunch of new followers (all men), the reel got eight times the likes the other posts usually get in a matter of moments and comments poured in. From heart eyes to remarks on how beautiful the farmer was, to marriage proposals and sexually suggestive comments. He removed all the comments and is closely monitoring the post in order to intervene if any inappropriate remarks pop up. This woman was minding her business, driving her tractor, and she experienced what so many women do at some point in their lives: she was objectified. No longer a smart, innovating, strong farmer showing off her work, but a pretty doll on a big machine.

Now, I realise that we have come far in our part of the world. In fact, Belgium – where this magazine is based – is one of the most progressive countries in the world in terms of gender equality (eighth spot in 2021, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality). I know that there’s parts of the world where the gender equality gap seems more like an abyss. In fact, we’re having a look at the situation in Tanzania, where women are struggling to get legal ownership of plots of land and means to practice agriculture, in this very issue. However, whether it is not being allowed to own land and being dependent on your husband’s property; being passed over when someone comes to your farm and asks to speak to The Farmer; being objectified for sitting on a tractor or having to endure the everyday misogynistic little “jokes” : these are all symptoms of one problem. Some need more urgent and extensive care than others but they all stem from a very toxic difference of perception of women versus men. Minimising someone’s experience or ridiculing it when she tries to address it is part of the problem.

Maybe you don’t mind it. Maybe you don’t experience these things and in that case, I’m truly glad for you! I just hope you’ll consider it as something to think about.

And so, I look forward to the second edition of the Women in Ag Awards, grateful to have the support and collaboration of an agricultural powerhouse like the DLG., and I keep looking for stories about the achievements of the amazing women from our industry so that I can showcase them here. Because showcasing our women and showing everyone what they are capable of is still necessary.

I hope one day my magazine and the Awards will be obsolete. Only then will I consider my work done.

Until then, I wish you happy reading with this latest issue of Women in Ag Magazine.

Kim.