In regard to my seven categories of challenges that American farmers and rancher face today, Ryanne Pilgeram and Bryan Amos’ article “Beyond ‘Inherit It or Marry It’: Exploring How Women Engaged in Sustainable Agriculture Access Farmland,” in Rural Sociology, Volume 80, Issue 1, presented me with a new category to consider: gender inequality. Pilgeram and Amos explore the ways in which female farmers obtain their land. After a brief literature review in which they outline the history of female farmers and today’s population of female sustainable farmers, they ask the question, “What are the different ways that women engaged in sustainable agriculture access farmland and how are those pathways to access affected by specific economic and cultural moments?” (Pilgeram and Amos 22).

Pilgeram and Amos selected a population of 40 female sustainable farmers in “Sunset County.” They compiled this population through online resources and speaking with stakeholders and farmers’ market managers in the region. Feeling confident that they had a list of all of the female sustainable farmers in the county, Pilgeram and Amos sent letters and emails to all members of the population asking for their participation. Of the 40 population members, they were able to obtain a sample size of 17 women with whom they would conduct in-depth, semi structured interviews with. After conducting the interviews (either over the phone or on the farms), Pilgeram and Amos utilized NVivo software to code and transcribe their responses and field notes. They then used cross-tabulations to analyze the patterns that were present.

They discovered that there were three main themes in how these women obtained their land: “Access through Marriage,” “Access Later in Life through Personal Savings and Retirement,” and “Land Access as Young Women with a Male Partner.” There were clear patterns of age groups within each of these categories. Those who gained access through marriage are the oldest group of women, and those who gained land access with an equal partner are the youngest group. Patterns regarding access to other important things were also present. Those who were able to be an equal partner in the land access had more access to time, education, and their own money than those who obtained their land through marriage.

This study presented me with a new category of challenges that today’s farmers and ranchers face. It was interesting to read about the increased number of female, sustainable farmers and the different groups within this category. It is clear that there is inequality among these female farmers as some have more access to other important things such as education, time and money that benefit their farming lifestyles.

Pilgeram, Ryanne. Amos, Bryan. 2015. “Beyond ‘Inherit It or Marry It’: Exploring How Women Engaged in Sustainable Agriculture Access Farmland.” Rural Sociology80(1): 16-38. Retrieved March 25, 2018. (http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.redlands.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=7&sid=c3235d15-40c5-4a9b-a1b7-9eb374975f83%40sessionmgr4008)