Canadian Agricultural HR Council receives funding to support women in agriculture

The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) is receiving funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) to advance the National Women in Agriculture and Agri-Food Network Project.

The project, titled “National Women in Agriculture and Agri-Food Network,” aims to foster the advancement of women in Canadian agriculture through research, collaboration, and knowledge mobilization. The overarching goal is to ensure that women hold at least 30 per cent of industry leadership positions by 2030.

The project includes four key initiatives:

1. Working collaboratively with women in regional and provincial agriculture organizations to develop a comprehensive Action Plan, creating mission, vision, and values statements to guide the National Women in Agriculture and Agri-Food Network, establishing an interim organizational governance structure and validating it with stakeholders.
   
2. Supporting community-led regional events in Canada designed to develop women in agriculture, including technical sessions and networking events.
   
3. Measuring progress of women in agriculture in Canada since CAHRC’s foundational Supporting the Advancement of Women in Agriculture report released in 2015.
   
4. Mobilizing knowledge and information about where progress has been made and where there are opportunities to ensure women continue to move forward in the industry.

Jennifer Wright, Executive Director at CAHRC, says significant work has been done by grassroots, volunteer Women in Ag organizations across Canada.

“This funding provides an opportunity to support their desire to explore a national network to support these initiatives. The funding also provides an opportunity to go back to foundational research conducted by CAHRC ten years ago to measure progress made over that period,” says Wright. “The support of community-led, women in agriculture events is exciting as it provides local, accessible opportunities for women to connect with each other, develop skills and contacts close to home.”

Up to $178K in funding over two years is provided through the AgriDiversity program, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP). The project is poised to drive significant progress in supporting and promoting women’s leadership in the Canadian agricultural sector.