Summary

Cotton carry bag used by delegates at the International Conference for Women in Agriculture, Melbourne, 1994.
The logo and theme related to 'Farming for our Future'.
This was the first international conference for agricultural women ever held. It was organised by the newly formed Australian Women in Agriculture and marked the first major contribution of Australia to the international rural women's movement. This was the largest agricultural conference ever held in Australia and attracted over 850 women from over 33 countries. Museums Victoria was represented at this conference with a display on the historical role of women in sustaining the family farm.
It is part of Museums Victoria's Invisible Farmer Project Collection.
The Invisible Farmer Project was the largest ever study of Australian women on the land, uncovering the histories and stories of Australian women in agriculture. It began as a pilot project (2015-2016) and evolved into a three year (2017-2020) nation-wide partnership between rural communities, academic, government and cultural organisations, funded by the Australian Research Council. It was established to reverse the absence of rural women in mainstream histories and museums.

Physical Description

Natural cotton rectangular carry bag with two handles, screen printed in black on both sides. The front depicts the Conference logo of three figures in front of a world globe with tree roots at its base; plus text and logo of sponsor. The back has text printed sideways three times and another sponsor's logo.

Significance

Cotton carry bags and mugs were an ongoing feature of the Women on Farms Gatherings during this time. This use of a bag was replicated for the International Conference on Women in Agriculture.

The 1994 International Conference on Women in Agriculture was the first major event organised by the Australian Women in Agriculture (AWiA). This organisation was first launched at the Tallangatta Women on Farms Gathering in 1993. The conference was held at the University of Melbourne in 1994.

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