About 25 women participated in the event
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Canada’s federal ag minister met with several female ag entrepreneurs from across the country recently.
Marie-Claude Bibeau hosted a virtual roundtable discussion on Sept. 18 with about 25 women to discuss the challenges and opportunities that exist in the ag industry.
“It was very interesting because they were representing all the regions across Canada, different sectors and different generations,” Bibeau told Farms.com.
Between 1996 and 2016, the percentage of Canadian female farm operators has increased from 25.3 to 28.7. The 2016 figure represents more than 77,000 female farmers.
The participants brought forward hurdles their male counterparts don’t have to navigate. Talking about those barriers is important in developing strategies to minimize them, Bibeau said.
“Childcare is one that came (up) over and over,” she said. “In some families, it’s particularly challenging for women to take care of the farm and the family at the same time.”
Another discussion topic centered on mentorship.
Women in the industry are eager to connect with their peers and learn from them, the minister said.
“Maybe it’s because most of them are still doing more with their husband and with their family, so they don’t invest a lot of time building their business network,” she said. “Having a mentor around them to support, to encourage or to guide them is something they are missing, and they feel that they would very much benefit from.”
Bibeau understands the importance of having women properly represented in different industries.
Prior to becoming minister of agriculture in 2019, Bibeau was the minister of international development and la francophonie during which time she worked to empower women and girls internationally.
Diversity in the workplace makes good business sense, she said.
“It has been demonstrated through numerous studies that when we have gender equality in any country, the economy is stronger,” she said. “It has also been demonstrated that when you have diversity around your board (of directors), you make better decisions.”