CropLife America Highlights Women’s Vital Farm Roles During International Year of the Woman Farmer

ARLINGTON, VA - 2026 is the International Year of the Woman Farmer, a designation by the United Nations to highlight the critically important roles women play in producing abundant, healthy food and supporting food security.

With its Farmer Voices Matter campaign, CropLife America (CLA) is sharing the story of American agriculture and why crop protection tools, including pesticides, are so important to women farmers and their families, all through the voices of the farmers themselves.

"Women fill vital roles on farms from coast to coast, from operating machinery in crop fields to making major business decisions for multi-generational farms," said Alexandra Dunn, president and CEO of CLA. "As we celebrate the International Year of the Woman Farmer, we're celebrating women's role in American agriculture - and the importance of agriculture to a thriving economy and food security. Every farm has a story, and we're elevating voices of women farmers to share these stories."

One of those farmers is Kristin Patterson. She and her family operate and manage Patterson Fruit Farm in northeastern Ohio. Kristin understands the necessity of modern pesticides to her family's business and to a safe, healthy, and abundant food supply.

"We are a traditional farm and we do use pesticides on our farm. And one of the things that I want everyone, including moms, to know when they make the food choices in their family is that our children eat the same food that we're selling in our market and are raising on our trees," said Patterson. "We just want to continue this family legacy that we have, and most importantly, producing food that is healthy and nutritious for northeast Ohio."

See more from Patterson's farm in the video here.

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About CropLife America:

Established in 1933, CropLife America(www.croplifeamerica.org) is the leading national trade association representing the pesticide industry. Our members drive innovation and sustainability by discovering, producing, selling, and distributing the essential pesticide products that empower American farmers to grow the world's food. CLA can be found on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) at @CropLifeAmerica.

About Farmer Voices Matter:

Farmer Voices Matter (www.farmervoicesmatter.org) is an initiative of CropLife America to increase public education about the importance of pesticides to American farmers.