An Overlooked Segment - Farm Women
Why is it that most agri-marketers do not have women farmers in their customer consideration set? Why is it that when we speak to women on the farm, we hear about their frustration needing to “train” every new salesperson (male and female) about their role as the decision maker?
As Agri-marketing strategists and market researchers, Bob Wilbur and I have been pondering these questions for some time. Our collective experiences lead us to conclude that women are an overlooked audience when marketing to farmers.
Agri marketers are ignoring farm women for several reasons - all based on convenient assumptions - not facts. The first assumption is related to purchasing power. That the number of farm women making purchase decisions are inconsequential to their ( the marketers) business - either because the sheer number of women decision-makers is small; or because they are believed to be active mostly in relatively small-scale holdings with little money to spend; or because if active on the farm, the women’s role is only that of book-keeping. The #2 reason farm women are being overlooked is a belief that, when present in the purchasing discussion, women’s’ needs are similar to that of men, so there is no need to differentiate the experience that the marketer is attempting to create. Of course, this assumes that the marketer is actually being strategic in creating experiences in the first place.
We decided that an injection of facts is needed and with the help of Farm Management Canada we completed a groundbreaking study “Understanding the Experience of Farm Women” which undermines both assumptions.
Let’s deal with these two assumptions in order.
Our recent study, encompassing 1,025 farm women respondents, tells us that twenty-six percent of women are either solely responsible for, or deeply involved in crop input purchasing (including seed, nutrient and crop protection). Yes, there is a spike in participation with smaller scale farms, but there is also a spike at the other end. Of the women representing farms >$2.5 million in revenue, thirty-two percent say they are deeply involved in or solely responsible for input purchase decision making. Can you really afford to ignore this market?
On the second point, regarding the assumption of similar needs as males, the facts that dispel this notion are even more compelling. Our farm women respondents feel strongly that their relationships with various suppliers, industry partners, other farmers etc., would be better if they were a man. This wasn’t a surprise. The surprise was that almost half of those women are deeply involved in or have sole responsibility for decision making when it comes to crop planning and inputs. They are obviously looking to be treated differently than whatever marketers are doing now. It’s even worse when it comes to equipment dealers where fully seventy-five percent of farm women feel their relationship would be better or much better if they were males! It is time to do better.
Finally, consider the future. Agricultural colleges are graduating a high proportion of female students – many who are heading back to the farm. Our research finds that almost seventy-five percent of young (18-30 years old) college educated farm women feel their relationships with input suppliers would be better if they were male. Something is clearly amiss here.
If you and your organization aren’t thinking hard about the experience of your farm women customers, whether you recognize them or not, I invite you to tell me why? I have my facts – do you have yours?
