International Year of the Woman Farmer by Laura Fraser, OFA Member Service Representative for Elgin and Oxford County Laura.fraser@ofa.on.ca While I don’t need a special holiday to celebrate women in agriculture, I will get behind one that does! The United Nations declared 2026 the International
Your one-stop truck accessory shop! Time to accessorize your truck? • Tonneau Covers • Running Boards • Truck Racks • Hood Protectors • Moulded Splash Guards and more Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF 2026). The Year spotlights the essential roles women play across agrifood systems, from production to trade, while often going unrecognized. There is a shift occurring as demographics are changing with older generations of farming being take over by females in leadership and management roles in all sizes of farms. The last Canadian Census of Agriculture put some numbers to this shift that we’re seeing. It recorded the first increase in the number of women who are farming in our country in 30 years – 30 per cent or about 80,000 of Canada’s farmers are female. That same Census showed that women are running larger farms than ever before, with an 86.3% increase in women running farms with $2 million or more in annual revenue. Ontario is home to the largest proportion of women farmers, followed by Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec. At a recent event, the Elgin Federation of Agriculture recently highlighted the contributions of women in farming by sharing the documentary, We Lend a Hand . The Farmerettes were over 40,000 teenage girls and young women who volunteered for
the Ontario Farm Service Force between 1941 and 1952 to work on farms, ensuring food production during WWII and its aftermath. Working in Ontario and Quebec, these ‘Farmerettes’ harvested crops, worked 10-hour days, and lived in supervised camps to support the war effort. Stories in the form of letters and essays have been collected, detailing first-hand experiences of these girls. The common theme in nearly every one was, “We worked hard but it was the best summer of my life.” In fact, many girls went back a second year or more and often took their sisters with them. Read about these women in Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: Memories of Ontario Farmerettes , written by Bonnie Sitter and Shirleyan English, or watch for more local viewings of the documentary. Women farmers are central to food security, nutrition and eco- nomic resilience. IYWF 2026 raises awareness and promotes actions to close the gender gaps and improve women’s livelihoods worldwide.
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Real Living • Spring 2026 • Page 15
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