Women Who Dig: Farming, Feminism, and the Fight to Feed the World
by Trina Moyles
Published by University of Regina Press
Review by Kris Brandhagen
$34.95 ISBN 9780889775275
Trina Moyles traveled for three years to eight countries to conduct research for the book Women Who Dig: Farming, Feminism, and the Fight to Feed the World, upon learning that her great grandmother farmed singlehandedly in Saskatchewan while her husband and sons fought in WWI. Moyles thought that the stories of other female farmers might also be hidden, and felt passionate about bringing them to light.
Moyles limited her research to specific areas and conditions, such as the Maya-Mam in the Comitancillo province in Guatemala, whose farms are threatened by the presence of a Canadian gold mine, and undocumented Mexican women in Sonoma County California who pick grapes all night long, facing possibilities of abuse, violence, rape, illness and injury. A goat farmer in Salt Spring Island BC uses loopholes to provide raw milk to her community; a woman in Peace County Alberta has started a community supported farm, where members pay for the product in advance; and an Edmonton urban farmer plants on vacant lots in exchange for produce.
There is an inspiring and hopeful end to this book. When Soviet assistance ceased in Cuba, so did the availability of fuels, fertilizers, and animal vaccinations that Cubans had become dependent on. The government encouraged urban farming, and created schools to teach the old techniques. One woman transformed a garbage dump into rich land for fruits, vegetables, and flowers using permaculture. While it is still a patriarchal system, women fought and gained their health, reproductive, and educational rights.
Moyles’ writing style is vivid and full of poetic imagery. This makes the book a pleasurable read despite the tearful moments. I would recommend this book to those doing research at the post graduate level, and to those who are interested in sustainability, alternative forms of agriculture, and learning more about how women survive (and some even thrive) in difficult or horrific conditions.
