Greatly increased production of vegetable food crops of all kinds was essential for the nation's wartime health and well being. Farming was designated an essential war effort occupation and farmers were provided with maximum Government support and assistance.
The Women's Land Army (WLA) was formed in 1939 to replace farmer's helpers who had been conscripted in the armed forces or to augment existing work forces. Young women were recruited and underwent intense, high caliber, training before being assigned to farms. They were uniformed in khaki shirts & jodhpurs, dark green wool pullovers and sturdy brown boots. WLA members resided on the farms to which they were assigned and performed every farm task imaginable. The program was an enormous success and the efforts of the WLA went a long way to insure the civilian population was adequately fed throughout the war. Even the smallest farms were assigned WLA members on application.
I worked on the farm of our milkman during the school summer holidays of 1940 and 1941 (and sometimes after school in the spring and early autumn) assisting the one WLA member assigned. She was very competent and hard working -- every bit as good as the farmer himself.