Ensuring that project proposals fall within government grant guidelines often undermines the work undertaken by women’s groups, said Gail Erickson of the federal Farm Women’s Bureau.
She said that frustration is one of many faced by Canada’s farm women’s groups already struggling with funding shortages and declining and aging membership.
Some of these groups leaned heavily on support from government in past years and now find themselves poring over paperwork seeking funding on a project by project basis.
“Fitting it into a proposal ends up transforming the objective and the project,” Erickson said.
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Increasing demands on volunteer time and agricultural crises like bovine spongiform encephalopathy have further challenged women’s ability to participate in associations.
“Volunteerism takes a back seat to their livelihood,” she said.
Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada is one group forging ahead with its work as the board awaits word on whether its projects will be funded this coming year. The group’s executive met in November to discuss goals for the coming year and look ahead to a conference in Red Deer in 2006.
FWIC wants to increase awareness of clean water supplies, improve agricultural education in schools and promote greater farm safety.
The group also hopes to hire a curator to maintain its founder’s homestead at St. George, Ont. The Adelaide Hoodless home has recently undergone renovations and now houses the group’s national office.
Doreen Holden, FWIC’s director for Saskatchewan, said the group’s projects will go ahead with or without funding.
“Without funding, we’ll just do it on a smaller scale,” she said.
FWIC plans to target newly retired women in its drive to revitalize and increase membership.
It also wants to communicate better, liaise with other women’s groups and create mentorship opportunities for women.
Erickson noted women often undervalue their own strengths.
“Women seem to be the last ones to recognize their own talents and the value of their experience and expertise,” she said.
Erickson said improved exchanges of information with other women’s groups would avoid duplicating similar projects.
“Don’t start a project before you do your research and see if it hasn’t already been done.”
She said the Farm Women’s Bureau can help women’s groups by organizing conference calls, arranging translation services, supplying websites and contacts, identifying funding sources and assisting in preparing grant applications.
