17 March 2019, at 12:00a.m.
CANADA - Diversity and inclusion are integral to creating an economy that works for everyone. The full and equal participation of women in Canada’s agriculture and food system will ensure the sector remains an engine of economic growth, contributing to the sector’s competitiveness and prosperity.
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau today spoke at the Advancing Women in Agriculture West 2019 conference in Calgary, highlighting the Government of Canada's ongoing commitment to creating a diverse, inclusive economy and supporting women in the agriculture and agri-food sector.
In Canada, more women are farming and the roles of women on the farm are continuing to evolve. Women accounted for 28.7 percent of all farm operators in 2016 - nearly 78,000 of 272,000 farmers in total. Women were most prevalent among farm operators between the ages of 35 and 54, representing almost a third of the group. (Source: 2016 Census of Agriculture).
Advancing gender equality has the potential to add $150 billion in incremental GDP to the Canadian economy by 2026. Fewer than 16 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in Canada are majority women-owned. Only 8.4 percent of majority women-owned SMEs export, compared to 12.8 per cent of majority male-owned SMEs.