Miriam and Rachel Hastings
Innovator
Hasting Influencers
Ireland
Social
Farming
Rural village
The innovation journey
Miriam and Rachel Hastings have been assisting on their family farm since their childhood and continue to do so to this day. The sisters, who both work in education, were born and raised on a sheep and suckler farm in Ballyforan on the Galway/ Roscommon border. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they witnessed their own parents and every other farmer continue with their work despite other professions ceasing to operate. To raise awareness of the foundational need for farming to sustain society and to spotlight the positives of farming as a career, the Hastings sisters established their Instagram account on March 26th, 2020. Despite their full-time teaching commitments, the two sisters aim to create awareness of farming life impart knowledge and inspire others about various aspects of farming through their social media platform. Miriam and Rachel Hasting’s Instagram account has 17,600 as of March 2024.
The innovation impact
‘Keeping up with the Hastings’ showcases the diverse aspects of farming life. As influencers in the farming community, they share their experiences and insights on agricultural life. They create content for their Instagram account to provide insight into daily farm operations, provide tips on sustainable farming practices, showcase new innovations and new technologies and highlight the challenges and rewards of farming. This activity has turned their platform into a hub for building networks, knowledge exchange, and facilitating mutual learning opportunities for the Hastings sisters and their followers. Their platform also sees interaction from people outside traditional agricultural sectors and across a range of age groups helping to bridge the gap between consumers and producers.
The sisters consciously use their platform to promote women in agriculture and have been guest speakers at numerous events. They are aware that their social media presence (and as working farmers) generates greater acceptance of women in agricultural practices.