Niagara Falls, Ont. (Rural Roots Canada) –  Wendy Cukier’s first experience working in agriculture wasn’t in a research laboratory, university or boardroom. It was picking strawberries and cutting grapes in Ontario’s Niagara region.

Growing up in St. Catharines, Ontario, Cukier was surrounded by agriculture. Her mother and grandparents came from farming backgrounds, and while she didn’t grow up on a farm herself, those agricultural roots were an important part of her upbringing.

Decades later, those early connections continue to influence how she views one of Canada’s most important industries and the opportunities it presents for women.

Cukier, founder of the Diversity Institute and academic research director for the Future Skills Centre and academic director of the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub will be a speaker at the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference, where she’ll explore artificial intelligence, robotics and entrepreneurship in agriculture.

For Cukier, it’s an opportunity to bring together her personal connection to farming and her professional passion for helping entrepreneurs succeed.

“I’ve always been very much of the view that farmers are the first entrepreneurs, along with hunters, and often they’re not included in the discussions of what’s going on with entrepreneurs and small business and so on,” says Cukier.

While conversations around entrepreneurship often focus on technology startups, Cukier believes agriculture deserves a much larger place in those discussions.

She’s particularly committed to ensuring farmers and agribusiness operators have access to the research, resources and opportunities available to entrepreneurs in other sectors.

Seeing Agriculture Through a Different Lens

Cukier’s interest in agricultural innovation stretches back well before artificial intelligence became part of everyday conversations.

She recalls participating in a committee discussion approximately 15 years ago about using artificial intelligence (AI), facial recognition and data analytics to monitor sheep and improve production.

That experience reinforced something she had already recognized: agriculture was far more technologically advanced than many people outside the industry understood.

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At the conference, she’ll share that perspective through a workshop examining artificial intelligence and robotics, emerging trends and where the technologies could take agriculture.

She believes the potential is enormous, particularly as the sector deals with labour shortages and pressure to improve productivity.

However, rural communities don’t always have the same access to technology, connectivity and training opportunities as urban centres. Without addressing those gaps, she worries emerging technologies could deepen existing challenges.

“There’s a risk if we’re not laser-focused on ensuring that farmers and people working in agribusiness understand and have access to technology that the problems that exist in the sector are going to get worse,” says Cukier.

For her, innovation isn’t just about introducing robotics or sophisticated production systems. It’s also about making technology accessible to smaller agricultural businesses and helping people develop the skills to use it.

Cukier believes another important step is changing how people outside agriculture see the industry.

She remembers growing up when even families living in cities often had gardens and some connection to food production.

Today, she says many young people have little exposure to agriculture and may not recognize the opportunities available, including careers in engineering, computer science and other fields increasingly important to modern farming.

“I do think there’s a huge opportunity. I feel like the sector often gets short-changed,” she says.

A Personal Passion for Entrepreneurship

While technology will be one focus of her conference presentations, Cukier is equally passionate about the people who will shape agriculture’s future.

She sees farm succession as one of the industry’s major challenges, but also as an opportunity for women, immigrants and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Rather than encouraging everyone to start a new business, she believes greater attention should be paid to taking over established operations.

She points to diversification throughout the Niagara region, where vineyards and farms are expanding into restaurants, bakeries, tourism and other ventures.

These businesses are creating opportunities for people with different backgrounds, experiences and interests to become involved in agriculture.

“I just think there are huge opportunities, especially for women,” says Cukier.

She’s also interested in emerging agricultural models that can address food security challenges.

Her work includes chairing the board of an organization developing greenhouses in northern communities, Green Iglu, where local food production can help strengthen food security.

It’s another example of why she believes agriculture offers opportunities extending far beyond traditional farming.

Cukier has previously participated in the conference remotely but is looking forward to engaging with attendees in person.

Her presentations build on her research and will examine both the technological transformation of agriculture and the economic opportunities emerging as the industry evolves.

Beyond technology, Cukier hopes the conversations will encourage more people to recognize agriculture’s importance to Canada’s future.

She believes Canada’s reputation for safe, high-quality agricultural products creates opportunities to expand into international markets.

She sees women and other equity-deserving groups as important contributors to that growth, bringing new perspectives, international connections and potential solutions to challenges such as farm succession.

“I think the sector has tremendous opportunity. I think it’s strategically absolutely critical to Canada and not just our own food security and sustainability, but the export potential,” says Cukier.

It’s a perspective shaped by a career studying entrepreneurship and innovation, but also by those early experiences in Niagara’s agricultural community.

From picking strawberries and cutting grapes to helping shape conversations about artificial intelligence and the future of farming, Cukier’s connection to agriculture has come full circle.

She’s hoping to help more women recognize the opportunities the industry has to offer.

For more information and to register for the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference, go to advancingwomenconference.ca.