WFAN was created in 1997 to serve as a network of women engaged in various aspects of sustainable agriculture, from farming to policy-making to purchasing healthy food for our families.

Our founders recognized that women needed a network because they were often working in isolation: geographically because they were often farming or working in rural areas, and culturally because of their choice to work in alternative agriculture. Our members also tell us over and over that they appreciate a women-only network, partly because agriculture in the US is still a highly gendered arena that favors men, and because women work and process information differently from men.

The WFAN website serves as a portal for our virtual community of information and support for women all over the US around the issue of sustainable agriculture and healthy food systems. But we know nothing replaces face-to-face interaction with peers. That’s why we hope to offer some support to those of you who may not live in the Midwest where we hold most of our events, and don’t have access to any of the other regional networks that continue to spring up around the country.

All it takes to create a network is communication and hospitality. Here are some tips and ideas to help you hold a networking meeting:

1. •Reach out to other women in your area who might be interested in creating your local network. Even one other person can make a big difference in  your efforts.
   

2. •Choose a location for your meeting. It can be your home, or any public meeting space at a library, church, or community center.
   

3. •Pick a date and time that you think will accommodate the most women’s schedules.
   

4. •Write up a brief meeting announcement and send it out to your local newspapers and radio stations.
   

5. •You can also create a handout or postcard and put it out in locations such as the farmers market, co-op grocery, or other spots where your audience is likely to see it.
   

6. •Plan the first meeting as a get-to-know-you gathering, to find out what the other women’s interests are. Then you can plan subsequent meetings accordingly. Ask them about meeting format (informal chat, speaker, book study?) and frequency. Perhaps they’ll want to rotate hosting, or take turns bringing refreshments.
   

7. •Offer snacks and drinks!
   

Here are some possible topics of discussion for meetings, if your group is interested in pursuing a theme, along with some resources for handouts or discussion points:

What does “sustainable agriculture” mean to you?

Sustainable Agriculture FAQ, Union of Concerned Scientists

What is Sustainable Ag?, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

What do you love most about your work? What is most challenging?

Food blogs, Grist.org

What do you think is most needed in your community to build a healthier food system?

Food Policy Councils, Community Food Security Coalition

What do you know about the US farm bill? Can individuals have an impact?

Understanding the Farm Bill: A Citizen’s Guide to a Better Food System, Institute for Ag and Trade Policy

The Plate to Politics Project (a collaboration of WFAN, MOSES, and the White House Project)

Here are a few good books that your group may want to read and discuss:

Farmer Jane: Women Changing the Way We Eat, by Temra Costa.

Women and Sustainable Agriculture: Interviews with 14 Agents of Change, by Anna Anderson.

Hit by a Farm, by Catherine Friend.

You Can Farm, by Joel Salatin.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan.

Consider holding an “heirloom skills” day: invite a group of women to come together and plant or harvest vegetables, preserve food, build a chicken coop, learn to fix a tractor, or share other agriculture-related skills with one another.

The Encyclopedia of Country Living, edited by Carla Emery.

Whatever meeting format you choose, make sure you allow time for women to bring up topics they want to share, and set up expectations that all women will be respected and heard. Try to manage the conversation so that no one person dominates.

WFAN is committed to the idea that each woman is the “expert” on her own situation, and has much to teach, and learn from, all the other women in the room.

Have fun, and please feel free to call us at 515-460-2477 with questions or comments! You can also email us by clicking here.