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Celebrating the International Year of the Woman Farmer

The United Nations has declared 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer, recognizing the essential role women play in global agri-food systems, including their contributions to food security, nutrition and economic resilience.

Read on to learn how we are recognizing the role of women in egg farming and celebrating their contributions to Canadian agriculture.

Canada’s history of women in egg farming

Women farmers have long contributed to egg production in Canada. For example, historical records confirm it was customary for women to raise and care for poultry in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and these women farmers played a critical role in food production during the Second World War.1 Women also held leadership roles in the egg industry in the early days of egg supply management (1970), and continue to make substantial contributions to the strength of our sector and the food security of our country.

Canadian egg farmer Muriel is pictured on the Newcombe family farm in Port Williams, Nova Scotia, in the 1960s.

Looking to the future

In 2017, Egg Farmers of Canada commissioned a two-year research study to gain deeper insight into women’s involvement in egg farming over time and better understand the barriers women farmers face when pursuing leadership positions within the sector.2

Canadian egg farmers Krista and Cathy at their farm in Abbotsford, British Columbia. They are first generation egg farmers who joined the sector thanks to BC Egg’s new entrant program, which supports new egg farmers to get their start in the industry.

The results of this research helped inform the development and launch of Egg Farmers of Canada’s women in the egg industry program in 2019. This mutual mentorship initiative brings women egg farmers together to share knowledge, grow their network and support leadership development. The program counts over five dozen graduates (and growing!) from across Canada who continue to champion the sector and pursue opportunities to lead, learn and grow.

Canadian egg farmer Lacey Merks at her farm in Gaspereau Valley, Nova Scotia. Lacey is a third generation farmer and a graduate of the women in the egg industry program.

We are proud to recognize the role of women in egg farming and celebrate their contributions to Canadian agriculture. The International Year of the Woman Farmer provides an opportunity to recognize progress and continue supporting and celebrating women’s important role in agriculture and food.

For more, read our fact sheet or check out our article profiling this year’s women in the egg industry program cohort.

1 Egg Farmers of Canada. (2019). Women in the egg industry research summary [PDF]. eggfarmers.ca

2 Egg Farmers of Canada. (2019). Women in the egg industry research summary [PDF]. eggfarmers.ca