By Andrea McCoy-Naperstkow, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture and Jordyn Domio, President, Junior Farmers’ Association of Ontario
As we approach International Women’s Day on March 8, it’s hard to believe that only a few decades ago, women in Canada could not legally be recognized as equal partners in their own farm businesses.
Today, 30 per cent of Canadian farmers are women and across the agri-food sector, women are alongside men as equals in many jobs, organizations and boards. That kind of change doesn’t happen overnight or on its own – but it’s one worth a second glance this year in particular.
That’s because 2026 has been designated as International Year of the Woman Farmer by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
For both of us, agriculture has always been personal.
Jordyn grew up spending summers on her family’s fruit and vegetable farm in Niagara and when it was sold while she was in high school, it felt like the end of a chapter. She started studying medicine, but an environmental law class eventually brought her to a career working in the agriculture industry.
Andrea – who was Jordyn’s professor in agricultural business at Algonquin College – is a third-generation farmer from Lanark County in eastern Ontario. Her father had two daughters and although they could work as hard as any man, were often relegated to feeding farm work crews and housework.
That was the norm, along with women not being able to claim wages for income tax purposes for work they did on the farm or even be recognized as partners in farm businesses. They also generally weren’t involved with agricultural organizations or farm politics.
That norm has changed.
Andrea, who returned to full-time farming after retiring from a career with the city of Ottawa, is a director on the board of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and has long been involved with her local federation in various roles.
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