Breaking new ground: Women and farm entry in British Columbia

The number of people entering agriculture in Canada has been decreasing over the past few decades. Despite these trends some people are still choosing to enter the sector. Many of those entering agriculture as professional farmers are women. This thesis presents a study of those women in the process of farm entry in British Columbia, Canada. Much of the literature frames women within the sector in terms of their relationship to the male dominance of agriculture. The tendency is to focus on how farm women's activities are undervalued and how women are maintained within a lesser position of power. Although the male dominance of the sector in general is not refuted, my research shows that many of the women entering the sector do not see the world they are entering as being a male dominated framework. These women are working within a social space that does not question their legitimacy as farmers and their integration within the field. The thesis explores the emergence of this alternate social space and its coexistence with the social space present within conventional agriculture. The analysis then moves beyond gender to explore how that alternate space, and the networks within it, function to mediate the challenges the women face during farm entry. The thesis concludes with several policy implications that result from the research.