Branding it an ‘important milestone’, Dr Pip Nicholas-Davies, current head of the agriculture teaching group at Aberystwyth University, said it was fantastic to see so many more young women studying the subject who have a real enthusiasm for food, farming and the environment.
Dr Nicholas-Davies said: “[They] will no doubt go on to make a significant impact on the wider sector in their chosen careers. A degree in agriculture from Aberystwyth provides these women with a broad skills base in business and environmental management, animal nutrition, agronomy, soil science, systems analysis and research, and the career opportunities this opens up to them is limitless.”
Second-year agriculture student, Anais Bunyan, 20, from Luton, said it was amazing to see so many women studying agriculture and working in the field.
She said: “It is really great to see more women stepping forward in this traditionally male-dominated industry.
“Farming is not in my family, but I have always grown up with a love for animals and my parents always told me the importance of respecting animals and the world around us.
“I spent two years in college studying animal management, where I was handed an opportunity to work alongside a friend on a dairy farm and slowly my love for farming grew.
“Although it was an industry I knew nothing about and had no experience in, the more work I did and the more responsibility I was given, the more I felt fulfilled by my work.”
She added seeing many other women on her course, as well as lecturers, was empowering and felt it was a step in the right direction for the industry.
Also in her second year studying agriculture at Aberystwyth, Bethany Harper did not come from a farming background, but spent two years working full-time on farms in the UK, US and New Zealand after college.
She said: “Although I love doing the hands-on work of farming, having a degree opens up opportunities to work in other connected careers, such as roles as a farm manager or agronomist. I did not want to miss the opportunity to develop further.”