Female students were allowed full participation in National
Future Farmers of America beginning in 1969. Currently, nearly
half of the 520,000 membership is female. Half of the elected
positions are held by females. Clearly the young women have
lived up the FFA motto which says, “I believe in leadership from
ourselves and respect from others.” National FFA has allowed two
generations of young women to explore the wide variety of
agricultural careers and learn management skills. The
Sustainable Agriculture movement proved that successful food
production can take place on very small plots. This allowed more
women to become involved in agriculture without obtaining
financial backing. Sustainable Agriculture also allowed women to
take leadership roles in agricultural organizations. More than
half of leadership positions in Sustainable Agriculture
organizations are held by women. Still, only a small percentage
of women hold positions of leadership in traditional commodity
organizations. Individuals with an interes