The Union des cultivateurs franco-ontariens and the Agricultrices du Québec will work together on this
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Ag organizations in Quebec and Ontario will be working together to support Francophone women in ag in both provinces.
The Union des cultivateurs franco-ontariens (UFCO), the only accredited Francophone ag organization in Ontario, and the Agricultrices du Québec (AQ), the only professional women’s ag union in Canada, are working together to deliver the AgriMentor program.
“This is a new partnership between two major agricultural unions in the Canadian Francophonie and which specifically aims to develop services to support women’s entrepreneurship in agriculture… it’s unique and it’s extraordinary,” UFCO General Manager Danik Lafond told The Review.
The Agrimentor program is split into group and individual mentoring.
The free group sessions, offered in collaboration with AQ, begin this fall.
Groups will participate in four virtual meetings where eight female farmers will discuss their personal experiences to help solve issues presented by participants during each session.
The sessions are open to ag students, future ag entrepreneurs, spouses of farmers or co-owners from Ontario and Quebec.
UFCO is offering the individual mentorship.
Through this program, an ag entrepreneur is paired with a mentor for one year.
The pairs will meet monthly and discuss whichever aspects of the business the entrepreneur feels requires attention.
The number of female farm operators in Ontario and Quebec has been fairly consistent.
The 2021 Census of Agriculture counted 20,895 female operators in Ontario, compared to 20,905 in 2016.
In Quebec, the census recorded 11,690 female farm operators in 2021. That’s up from 10,945 in 2016.
Nationally, the number of female farmers rose from 77,970 in 2016 to 79,795 in 2021.