Entrepreneurship, AI, and the Future of Agriculture with Dr. Wendy Cukier | That’s a Food Job! #130
About Dr. Wendy Cukier
Dr. Wendy Cukier, MA, MBA, PhD, LLD (HC), DU (HC), M.S.C., is the Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Founder and Academic Director of the Diversity Institute, and Academic Research Director of the Future Skills Centre. Since launching in 1999, the Diversity Institute has grown to 80 full time research staff, 10 hubs across the country, and 300 partners undertaking research and evidence based programs to advance growth, sustainability, innovation and inclusion.
Wendy grew up in a farming family in Niagara, picking strawberries and cutting grapes as her first jobs, and found her way back to agriculture professionally about 25 years ago while judging technology awards that showcased how advanced the sector already was. She holds an MA and MBA from Toronto and a PhD in Information Systems from Schulich, York, along with two honorary doctorates, and has written more than 200 papers on technology, innovation, and management, including co-authoring the bestseller “Innovation Nation.”
What We Cover in This Episode
Wendy breaks down why agriculture rarely gets mentioned in entrepreneurship conversations, even though she argues farmers were the original entrepreneurs. She walks through the deep cultural bias that still shapes how people picture a “farmer,” the looming succession crisis as aging farm owners look for someone to take over, and how community gardens and greenhouses can act as a low-barrier entry point for students who never grew up around agriculture. She also unpacks where AI adoption is actually happening in the sector, why small and family farms tend to lag behind large operations, and what she believes matters more than a specific degree when building a career.
Watch the Episode Below
Key Take-aways
- Farmers are the original entrepreneurs.
- The cultural image of a farmer is out of date.
- A succession crisis is coming.
- Immigration could be an underused pathway into farm ownership.
- Community gardens and greenhouses are a pull factor.
- AI adoption in agriculture is uneven.
Links
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
- Mapping Food Sustainability in Canada: Addressing Food Insecurity and Skills Pathing to the Agriculture Sector
- Food Sustainability in the North: Skills Challenges and Opportunities in Community Greenhouse Projects
- Supporting Rural Entrepreneurship: Reframing the Discourse
- Technology and Agriculture: Adoption and Barriers
- Barriers and Enablers of Northern Businesses and Entrepreneurship
- Greenification of SMEs: Green Skills Competency Framework
- Artificial Intelligence at Work: The Shifting Landscape of Future Skills and the Future of Work
- Greening Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Women Entrepreneurs and the Path to Net Zero
Timestamps
- 00:00 – Intro
- 00:25 – Meet Dr. Wendy Cukier
- 05:06 – A Day in Her Career
- 08:32 – Breaking the Farmer Stereotype
- 12:22 – Career Openings from Succession
- 16:41 – A Non-Traditional Path In
- 17:57 – Research Students Can Use
- 20:00 – Spotting Gaps as Opportunity
- 23:56 – Volunteer Your Way In
- 28:02 – Where AI Jobs Are Growing
- 31:30 – Skills You Need Now
- 35:07 – Where to Aim Your Career
- 38:43 – Advice for Your Next Step
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