When Women Farm

they are the seed keepers 
sprout counters 
compost carriers 
clay diggers 
rain dancers 
moon watchers 
planet savers 

when women farm
the ruts and rows  
might curve and wind --
inspired by spirals 
not governed by uniformity 

women who farm are 
open to the rise and fall 
of unstable weather, 
amenable to uncertain 
patterns of sun and rain

they are wedded to 
muck and mud in spring, 
elated by warm summer soil 
made rich by longer days 
of weeding and planting 

when women farm
their love of the land
is freely given
as they kneel to nurture
and bend to nourish and tend 

This poem was inspired by the diversity of women farmers and their intricate engagement with the land.

Sowing the Future: When Food Becomes Connection is an arts-based project that opened in 2022 featuring seven women who are farming sustainably on the traditional Algonquin Anishinaabe lands of the Ottawa / Outaouais Region and beyond. In 2023 and 2024, artist Barbara Brown continued to photograph local women farmers including racialized, gender-divergent, landless farmers and temporary foreign agricultural workers. 

Brown’s photos of diverse farmers mirror and draw attention to the importance of biodiversity in agricultural practice which is crucial for human survival. Biodiversity enhances food security, improves water supply and regulates climate. Biodiversity also plays an important role in supporting agriculture through pollination by insects and other animals.

On International Women’s Day 2025, we appreciate and honour the many different women farmers who remind us that harmony and sustainability comes from celebrating differences and working together to nurture and protect the Earth while feeding our families and communities.

Photos: Barbara Brown (2024)
Top left: Willow and Tess harvest the last of the beets at BeetBox Farm near Ottawa
Top middle: Rosalba, Marina and Norma at Fiddlehead Farm in Prince Edward County Ontario
Top right: Kumiko picking her indigo crop at Jambican Studio Farms near Ottawa
Bottom: A wet day at BeetBox Farm

Image: Photo of the red barn at Ottawa’s Just Food Farm by Diane Perazzo edited with Prisma