[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 106 (Friday, July 31, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9607-S9608]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE, HELD IN 
               WASHINGTON, D.C., ON JUNE 28-JULY 2, 1998

 Mr. LEAHY. The role of women in the production and development 
of the global agriculture system has historically been largely 
overlooked. Women, however, are an indispensable part of the system, 
producing 65% of the world's food supply. They have historically held 
the primary burden for the production, acquisition, and preparation of 
food for their households. According to the International Food Policy 
Research Institute, in Africa women produce up to 80% of the total food 
supply.
  Women contribute a great deal to the agricultural backbone upon which 
we all rely, and yet they too often go without praise or thanks. I want 
to recognize the invaluable role that women play in feeding the world.
  In the last few years, several important steps have been taken to 
assure that women working in agriculture around the world are given the 
recognition they deserve. In 1994, the First International Conference 
on Women in Agriculture was held in Melbourne, Australia. It was 
designed as a forum for women involved in agriculture to

[[Page S9608]]

come together and share their experiences while learning more about 
successful farming and agri-business techniques. This conference was 
one of the first attempts to call attention to the specific roles women 
play in the agricultural world.
  The following year, the Fourth United Nations World Conference on 
Women was held in Beijing, China. It was at this international 
conference that a decision was made to call on the world's governments 
to finally measure and value uncompensated work by women, including 
agricultural labor, in their respective country's official statistics.
  In 1997, President Clinton proclaimed October 15 as International 
Rural Women's Day. In doing so, he again brought to the world's 
attention that rural women comprise more than one-quarter of the 
world's population and form the basis of much of the world's 
agricultural economy. These important events provide a substantial 
foundation that we must continue to build upon.
  The Second International Conference for Women in Agriculture, 
recently held here in our nation's capitol, continued to capitalize 
upon the efforts of the past by focusing on the status of women and 
their agricultural contributions to the world. Women from all parts of 
world, including my home state of Vermont, gathered to discuss and 
learn about the major concerns of women in agriculture.
  Ten Vermonters, including farmers and representatives from the 
Vermont Department of Agriculture and the Vermont State Farm Bureau, 
attended the conference. Linda Aines, Beverly Bishop, Diane Bothfeld, 
Nancy Bruce, Kate Duesterberg, Bunny Flint, Debra Heleba, Sandra Holt, 
Martha Izzi, Lindsey Ketchel, Daphne Makinson, Kristin Mason, and Mary 
Peabody participated in the conference and contributed to the events 
with an extremely well-received exhibit of photographs and goods 
produced by Vermont women, including cheese and maple syrup. These 
women joined with representatives from throughout the country and the 
world to discuss agriculture issues while celebrating their roles as 
food producers. Issues ranged from protection from banned chemicals and 
hazardous equipment to biotechnology, some of the most debated and 
contentious agriculture issues facing our world today.
  We need to continue to nurture the seed of promise and hope planted 
by the Women in Agriculture Conference. At the conclusion of the 
conference a caucus of women representatives, including Vermont's, 
presented a resolution declaring that the role and rights of women in 
agriculture should be respected and supported by the nations and 
societies they serve and that they be valued and consulted as equal 
partners in the production and trade of agricultural goods around the 
world. We must not ignore this resolution and the movement it 
represents. Mr. President, I ask that the text of resolution be placed 
in the Record after my remarks.
  Women involved in agriculture around the globe deserve our 
appreciation and respect and have gone far too long without it. 
Conferences such as the one held in Washington bring attention to the 
plight of women in agriculture while aiding the communication between 
women in agriculture in the advanced world and women in the developing 
one.
  A great deal more work needs to be done, however, before the dreams 
and ambitions of women involved in agriculture everywhere are realized. 
I implore all the members of Congress to join me in acknowledging our 
debts to the women of the agricultural world, celebrate their attempts 
to bring their work to the attention of the world, and help to make 
their ambitions and goals reality.
  The resolution follows:

    Resolution of the Second International Conference for Women in 
                              Agriculture

       Whereas women are an integral and critical part of the 
     global food production system, producing 65 percent of the 
     world's food supply; and
       Whereas a stable and reliable supply of safe and nutritious 
     food is an essential component of human health and a hallmark 
     of national prosperity, and is in the best interest of global 
     security; and
       Whereas maintaining an ample food supply depends on an 
     agriculture that is respectful of those who work the land, 
     respectful of the environment, and sustainable over the long 
     term, be it therefore
       Resolved, That the role and rights of women in agriculture 
     must be respected and supported by the nations and the 
     societies that they serve; that women involved in 
     agriculture, whether by choice or by need, shall be valued 
     and consulted as equal partners in the production and trade 
     of agricultural goods, and that women in agriculture shall be 
     valued and consulted as well in the best practicable methods 
     of agricultural production to sustain human health, 
     international prosperity, and the global environment.

                          ____________________