Organization focuses on female farmers

In French, the feminine version of “entrepreneur” is “entrepreneure.”

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The letter E at the start and end of that word inspired the name of Dimension-E, an organization working to empower women in the agriculture and forestry sectors.

Dimension-E is available to women who become members of the Agricultrices du Quebec. While primarily targeting female producers from Quebec and Ontario, the program is available to anyone in Canada who wants to become a member.

Why it matters: Women can face unique challenges on the farm and often lack needed resources.

“Our mission is to offer women in the agricultural and forestry industries a network dedicated to the development of their full potential, and our vision is to become the reference network for the success of women in agriculture,” said Katherine Rousseau, Dimension E’s interim director, at the Canadian Association of Farm Advisor’s Ontario event last month.

“It is interesting to be able to gather and look at data on women because the experience and challenges of women farmers are different than those of men.”

According to a 2023 study by Farm Management Canada, female producers experience a higher level of stress due to unpredictability of the work, work-life balance and financial pressures. Administrative tasks and business planning are often the primary responsibility of women on the farm.

Additional data shows women have complicated issues and relationships with certain professionals in the industry, such as equipment dealers and service providers.

Through Dimension-E, women can obtain mentoring to deal with these issues or join groups to get support. All programs are offered in French and English.

Rousseau said the organization aims to respond to the specific needs of women by supporting gender equity and equality in policy development, programming and governance. It also wants to extend existing research to more effectively capture data related to farm women and conduct additional research on their experience and contributions, so it can create and enhance resources.

She said women in the industry have expressed interest in developing leadership, communication, and equipment operating skills. This is where the mentoring program offered through Dimension-E comes into play.

The mentorship program matches women with mentors for six months. They meet remotely once a month to discuss issues.

“The mentee is often someone that registers because she is facing different entrepreneurial challenges in the development of her farm, and she needs an external perspective, someone that will help her think outside of the box,” Rousseau said.

In the organization’s peer group program, female farmers meet to discuss challenges and potentially benefit from the experiences and support of other women in the group.

Dimension-E also offers free expert consultation, where every member has access to hour-long sessions with experts such as tax specialists, financial planners and business advisors. Rousseau said the organization wants to add more experts in the future, such as lawyers and agronomists.

Research into the specific needs and challenges of female producers in Ontario showed they are interested in many of the things Dimension-E already offers, she said. Now, the organization wants to become better known so women can benefit from its services.