If you grew up in rural Alberta, chances are an agricultural society has been part of your story.
It might be 4-H Achievement Days and public speaking. A local fair or rodeo. A riding arena, community supper or farm safety event. It might be volunteering alongside your neighbours or taking your children to an event you attended when you were young.
Across Alberta, agricultural societies and the thousands of volunteers behind them play an important role in keeping rural communities connected.
For AFSC’s Carmen Pezderic, that role is both professional and personal.
“Agricultural societies have always been part of my life,” says Pezderic, who works with agricultural organizations across Alberta through AFSC’s sponsorship and community investment program. “I grew up on a farm, was involved in 4-H, beef and horses, and spent a lot of time at community events. They were places where you participated, volunteered and got to know people from different farms and generations.
“Some of the most important things agricultural societies create are difficult to measure. We can count attendance and volunteer hours, but it’s harder to measure belonging, relationships and what it means to know the people in your community.”
In Alberta, there are 292 agricultural societies, supported by more than 60,000 volunteers. Together, they support more than 900 community facilities and 4,000 events, programs and activities across the province each year.
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