Women-run Farms Produce Less Income

On average, women-run farms produce 20 to 30 percent less than farms run by men. The reasons for this “crop gap,” according to the FAO, have nothing to do with an aptitude for farming and everything to do with the gender-specific obstacles such as bias in the economic system limiting access to credit. Most US women farmers’ farm incomes range between $1,000 and $10,000 per year. In 2020, the poverty threshold for a family of four in the US was $26,200 (national average). Most women farmers, therefore, are making incomes far below the poverty threshold in the US. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines small farmers as those with incomes of $250,000 or less per year.

Sources: FAO/USDA