The Female Farmer Project Podcast
If there’s one person responsible for today’s increased awareness of female farmers around the world, it’s Audra Mulkern and her organization, The Female Farmer Project.
On a mission to document the rise of women in agriculture, The Female Farmer Project encompasses photo essays, farmer portraits and interviews, a documentary film, guest essays and even a podcast—all centered around the female farmers who grow our food.
In the podcast, Mulkern is joined by host and producer Kate Doughty and together they visit and interview female farmers of all ages working in fields like animal husbandry, grain farming, vegetable production and more. “This podcast series serves as a platform for women to discuss agricultural issues, and give power to the traditional, cultural and experience-driven knowledge,” Mulkern states in the podcast’s introduction.
A recent episode featured an 11-year-old chicken farmer named Eleni, while other episodes dealt with topics like farming with disabilities, balancing farming and motherhood, urban farming and experiencing life as a veteran farmer.
One thing to note: This podcast is very minimally produced. Do not expect NPR-level podcast quality. You might hear cars driving past in the background and it’s sometimes difficult to hear what interviewees are saying above the chirping of birds or mooing of cows. There are few musical interludes to keep you entertained while the conversation switches gears.
Despite this, or perhaps because of it, there’s something pure and honest about the way these stories are told. These are real girls and women working with the land, and you almost feel like you’re standing next to the hosts near a chicken coop or in a field of produce listening to the farmers discuss what they do and why they do it.
If you want to know what everyday life is like for real female farmers around the world without all of the bells and whistles of produced media, then this podcast is for you.
