Only a few years old, the nonpartisan Plate to Politics program, run by the Women, Food and Agriculture Network (WFAN), describes its goal as strengthening the “leadership role of women transforming our nation’s food system, from the federal agriculture policy agenda to what’s on our family’s dinner plate.” More than a million women are farm operators nationwide, says Civil Eats, “the largest minority in agriculture” and a potentially influential group.
By some measurements, women are more effective than men as legislators, says Civil Eats, but although they have the same success rate as men when they run for office, they are less likely to become candidates. Plate to Politics says it focuses on providing leadership training to women engaged in healthy food and farming
Bridget Holcomb, WFAN’s executive director, says Plate to Politics operated on a shoestring budget in its early years. “But now, we are beginning to see funders come forward and say, ‘I get it. This could be a game-changer,’ ” Holcomb told Civil Eats.