Through CAHRC’s research, agricultural businesses have clarified that their top risk to business success, sustainability, and growth is human resources, specifically having reliable access to workers with the latest knowledge and skills required to meet existing and evolving demands (CAHRC, 2009, 2011, 2016). The industry-developed National Workforce Strategic Plan for Agriculture and Food and Beverage Manufacturing also identified the need to ensure equity, diversity and inclusion is an overlaying theme for all the five pillars of the plan.
Agricultural business operations are multifaceted with complex business structures, schedules, and regulatory rules, stringent food regulations, bio-security protocols, complex machinery, evolving technology and robotics, animal welfare requirements, personal safety regulations, environmental stewardship considerations, and remote location challenges. They also include the integration of diverse staff teams making the HR management function extremely complex, while at the same time the most critical to operational success.
CAHRC offers inclusion, diversity, equity and diversity (IDEA) tools, training and resources for agricultural employers. The Council continues to work with industry to expand these offerings, including having a more robust suite of resources, which are currently under development. CAHRC also supports the IDEA journey for industry through developing an IDEA community of practice and acting as the secretariat for the industry-led IDEA in Agriculture and Agri-Food group.
The Growing the AgriWorkforce project will assist agricultural employers with successfully hiring and managing domestic and foreign workers (when Canadian workers or Permanent Residents are not available), and applying best HR practices to support and retain their workforce. The IDEA training modules included in this training for employers will create more welcoming workplaces that respect the differences of a diverse workforce and encourage collaboration, enhance interpersonal skills and intercultural communication, and foster a respectful, inclusive, and equitable working environment. The project outcomes will assist the agriculture and agri-food industry in its economic recovery after the pandemic and will enable the industry to grow the Canadian economy in future years.
