Sowing the Future: Women Farmers + EcoAgriculture

Women play a vital role in agriculture worldwide, yet they are often not represented in the collective social image of farmers.

In 2021/22 I worked with Barbara Brown and Jess Weatherhead to create a unique creative arts exhibit featuring seven amazing women who are farming sustainably on the traditional Algonquin Anishinaabe lands of the Ottawa / Outaouais Region. Each woman is farming in a way that is mindful of the environment, restores and builds soil quality, sequesters carbon and protects local biodiversity. Among them they are providing nourishing local food to thousands of people in the community.

We created an arts exhibit which told the story of these dedicated farmers by presenting vibrant painted portraits, photos of their farming practice and poetic reflections about their experiences. The exhibit was displayed at Roots and Shoots Farm September 30 – October 2, 2022 and at the Wakefield Public Library during the winter of 2022. Although we have each moved on to other creative projects, we continue to nurture this exhibit and are seeking venues where it will be shown during the upcoming months. 

The project owes its existence to a series of portraits painted by the artist Jess Weatherhead who is also a farmer herself. At the exhibition, her portraits are accompanied by photos by Barbara Brown and poetry written by myself.

The exhibit consisted of seven different sections each with Jess’ portrait of the farmer, Barbara’s photos that portray the farm and each women’s interaction with the land and a short poem that I wrote based on my conversations with the farmers. 

We displayed each farmer in a series that follows nature’s seasonal cycles and the cycles of work on the farm.  The first poem begins in the late winter and the final poem takes place in the fall.

My goal in writing the poems was to express the beauty, the magic, the fluidity and the simple truth of each woman’s connection with the land. Each poem portrays a moment in time when she is interacting with the land and experiences a flash of insight, or a moment of joy and gratitude. Here is a sample from one of the poems:

the greenhouse

A breath of frost
still lingers
on this
sun-kissed
April morning.
 
Within this cathedral of light,
The tiny seedlings,
are reaching green and bright. They are
luminescent and
ravenous for radiance.

For more information and to be added to the mailing list check out our project website.

Cover image: Jess Weatherhead