A new exhibition which explores gender and agriculture launches this weekend at the Gymnasium Gallery in Berwick.
Daughters of the Soil: The Women behind Agriculture , by award-winning documentary photographer Joanne Coates, focuses on issues women face in farming. It is the culmination of 12 months of work in Northumberland and the Scottish Borders done during a residence with the Maltings and Newcastle University's Centre for Rural Economy (CRE) and Institute for Creative Arts Practice.
The exhibition explores questions about land inheritance, farming stereotypes and the history around who works the land. Women make up 15% of the farming industry in the UK, and their contribution is significant but often overlooked, with underlying barriers such as access to land, class motherhood and lack of clear leadership roles assisting this.
