Queer Farmers Webinar

Accessibility & Context

After a round of Introduction where the guest speakers introduced themselves and their journey into farming, we started with focusing on the first topic of the interview. This first section was guided by two key questions:

• How free and safe do you feel to express your queer identity in your farming community?
  
• Does the local culture or political climate make farming easier or harder for queer people?
  

Several speakers described working in peri-urban areas or as part of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects — initiatives that connect farmers directly with consumers to strengthen local food systems. In a CSA, members buy a share of the upcoming harvest and receive regular boxes of fresh, seasonal produce. This model offers farmers fair pay and financial stability while providing members with healthy, local food and a meaningful connection to the people who grow it.

Several farmers noted that working in or near cities tends to be more inclusive and welcoming for queer people, as urban and peri-urban communities are often more open-minded than more traditional rural areas. One participant spoke about farming in eastern Germany, just outside Berlin — a city known for its progressive and queer-friendly culture — where the strong influence of right-wing politics still shapes how accessible rural life is for queer folks.

Many also pointed out that rural farming communities often remain largely cis-heteronormative. In some cases, biodynamic or anthroposophic farms can reproduce patriarchal structures in how work and leadership are organized.

In response to these challenges, several farmers shared the intentional steps they take to foster visibility and inclusion on their farms. For some, that means starting open conversations about gender roles and community dynamics in spaces where such topics are rarely discussed. Others said that the presence — or absence — of queer people was a decisive factor in choosing which farms to work with or support.

Visibility & Local Impact

Next, we turned the conversation toward visibility and the local impact of queer presence on farms. We invited the speakers to reflect on two questions:

• Has your presence as a queer farmer influenced how your local community thinks or acts? Can you share some examples?
  
• Does your community make you feel seen and valued — and if so, how?
  

Most speakers noted that before they arrived — or even while they were settling into their farming contexts — conversations about queer visibility and inclusion were either just beginning or hadn’t started at all. They described how they began introducing discussions about gender roles on the farm, team composition, and how these aspects intersect with the makeup of their consumer base. Over time, they observed meaningful changes — both in attitudes and in everyday practices — and shared the joy of seeing queer farmers growing food for queer households and communities.

One farmer explained that, in their case, sparking this kind of cultural shift required first forming a FLINTA-only team to ensure a safer and more supportive working environment. (FLINTA* stands for Female, Lesbian, Intersex, Non-binary, Trans, and Agender people, with the asterisk including all other gender identities and sexual orientations outside of patriarchal norms.) This approach created space for open communication and collective reflection, helping the team rethink hierarchies and challenge patriarchal dynamics. Later, non-FLINTA individuals were included through a careful process that prioritized inclusive communication and shared values.

Another speaker shared how their visibility as a queer farmer helped foster community w

ellbeing — creating spaces where FLINTA farmers could support one another physically, emotionally, and socially.

All of the speakers expressed a deep sense of happiness in witnessing their farms become increasingly queer and inclusive over the years — a transformation they attributed not only to their presence as queer individuals but also to their ongoing activism and community care.

Challenges & Successes

Next, we turned the conversation toward visibility and the local impact of queer presence on farms. We invited the speakers to reflect on two questions:

• Has your presence as a queer farmer influenced how your local community thinks or acts? Can you share some examples?
  
• Does your community make you feel seen and valued — and if so, how?
  

Most speakers noted that before they arrived — or even while they were settling into their farming contexts — conversations about queer visibility and inclusion were either just beginning or hadn’t started at all. They described how they began introducing discussions about gender roles on the farm, team composition, and how these aspects intersect with the makeup of their consumer base. Over time, they observed meaningful changes — both in attitudes and in everyday practices — and shared the joy of seeing queer farmers growing food for queer households and communities.

One farmer explained that, in their case, sparking this kind of cultural shift required first forming a FLINTA-only team to ensure a safer and more supportive working environment. (FLINTA* stands for Female, Lesbian, Intersex, Non-binary, Trans, and Agender people, with the asterisk including all other gender identities and sexual orientations outside of patriarchal norms.) This approach created space for open communication and collective reflection, helping the team rethink hierarchies and challenge patriarchal dynamics. Later, non-FLINTA individuals were included through a careful process that prioritized inclusive communication and shared values.

Another speaker shared how their visibility as a queer farmer helped foster community wellbeing — creating spaces where FLINTA farmers could support one another physically, emotionally, and socially.

All of the speakers expressed a deep sense of happiness in witnessing their farms become increasingly queer and inclusive over the years — a transformation they attributed not only to their presence as queer individuals but also to their ongoing activism and community care.

Community & Organizing

So, what can farmers do to respond to these ongoing struggles? Community and collective organizing are essential — especially when it comes to supporting queer farmers. We asked our speakers:

• What kinds of support networks (i.e. emotional, social, or financial) can you rely on — and which ones would most help queer farmers in your context?

Here there are other resources and networks shared by the speakers and other people when we opened the discussion to other webinar participants: 

• Elan Network, which was mentioned above, is a German FLINTA farmers’ network that hosts skillshares, discussions and summer camps. 
• La Via Campesina (LVC) is the world’s largest movement of peasants and landworkers, advocating for food sovereignty, peasant rights, and social justice through activism, community organizing, and global solidarity. In 2023, La Via Campesina brought up the Declaration of the 1st International Meeting of Diversities and Supporters.
• ECVC is the European Coordination of La Via Campesina, a farmers’ and peasants’ organization committed to sending strong political messages, which is fundamental to changing farming contexts across Europe. ECVC also published a zine about Embracing Rural diversity, focusing on gender and sexualities in the peasant movement. 
• Landworkers’ Alliance is the English branch of La Via Campesina. This organization also recently published a Booklet  that celebrates underrepresented land workers in the UK, and which contains a series of full colour photos and a smaller booklet of interviews.
• Out On The Land is the queer branch of Landworkers’ Alliance, where LGBTQIA+ folx come together to build solidarity, to network and connect, and raise the voices of queer and trans landworkers. As a group by and for queer and trans people, OOTL emerges with the intent of reducing isolation, challenging cis-hetero-normativity and to create spaces for queer and trans joy. 
• Agrespect is another relevant network in the UK, which aims at helping LGBTQ+ people to be open about their sexuality and to live authentic lives in their rural communities.
• ILGA was also relevant for this discussion. It is the European branch of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. It is an advocacy group promoting the interests of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people, at the European level.
• This Article was also shared by the audience, which focuses on Queerness in Dutch Agriculture. It offers insights into the diversity of queerness, the ways in which it is or is not understood, and how this can both support itself across diverse rural and urban communities, as well as oppose and come into conflict with itself. 

Moreover, it was mentioned that next year (2026) is going to be the ONU year for women farmers, and therefore it will be an occasion to talk about how women suffer systems of oppression in farming.