Interest in First Nations farming revival growing
VANCOUVER, B.C. — It felt like time to return to the land.
After several years away, Nicol Watson moved back to her family home on the Tsawwassen First Nation in British Columbia in 2017.
“I decided to return to my community and learn to live off the earth,” she said. “I knew I needed a change, but I didn’t really know what I was doing.”
As a child, Watson helped her grandfather in his garden. She grew up, got a job and moved away, but a bad car crash made it hard for her to continue to work as an industrial painter.
“The garden gave me peace, so I decided to go in that direction,” she said.
Shortly after returning home, she enrolled in the Tsawwassen First Nation farm school.
In 2013, as part of its agricultural plan, the Tsawwassen First Nation set up a partnership with Kwantlen Polytechnic University to develop a hands-on agriculture training program. The Tsawwassen First Nation farm school was established on about 20 acres — roughly 20 city blocks — of traditional TFN land to teach students about small-scale sustainable agriculture and Indigenous food systems.
A first in B.C., the farm school has become a model for other Indigenous agriculture projects across the province.
“It’s a very practical program,” said Kent Mullinix, director of KPU’s institute for sustainable food systems. “It’s designed to transfer knowledge.”
While part of the school involves KPU classes, the majority of the learning happens, quite literally, in the field. There are no educational requirements for participation in the program, which is not accredited, meaning no diploma is awarded at the end. Instead, students are given the opportunity to create a business plan and establish their own incubator farm on a plot at the farm school.
“They have access to that for three years, as well as access to tools, machinery and technical and marketing support so they can build their business in an environment that’s as risk-free as possible,” said Mullinix.
The program accepts about 12 students each year on average, with priority given to Tsawwassen First Nation students and other Indigenous students.
Students work on the farm while taking classes in integrated pest management, plant science and tree fruit, among other subjects. Produce from the farm is provided to Tsawwassen First Nation elders. Students also participate in farmers’ markets and a community-supported agriculture box pro-gram. Indigenous food sovereignty and sustainability are at the forefront of teaching and discussion.
“We want settler-descendant students to learn that their farm has to reflect Indigenous food sovereignty — it needs to be a part of what it means to be a sustainable farmer,” said Mullinix.
Chief Ken Baird said in statement that his nation views food sovereignty as an “extension of its culture, of viewing Mother Earth as a sustaining force.”
The school draws from cultural practices, including respecting elders as knowledge keepers, and maintains a traditional smokehouse at the site.
Agriculture is also a land use that can provide revenue, food, jobs and education, he said, as well as “an enduring cultural connection for present and future generations.” The original farmers Discussion about Indigenous agriculture projects tends to forget that First Nations people are “the original farmers,” said Jennifer Grenz, a sessional lecturer in the University of B.C.’s faculty of land and food systems.
Indigenous agriculture is about growing food for people in a way that’s respectful of the land and ecological reconciliation. There’s also great variety in the types of farms and food production being done.
“Settler ideas sometimes hold us to the past. We bring a unique perspective and food experiences, but we’re farmers, and we’re expanding our expertise and pursuing our economic interests,” said Grenz.
For Watson, who is also an ordained minister, farming is a way to contribute to her community. She uses her incubator farm to provide “blessing bags” to members of the community who can’t afford fresh, organic food.
“For me, it’s been valuable to learn how I can do my part for our nation. I want to gain that knowledge and pass it on to others,” she said.
Watson’s sister has also started to take courses through the farm school.
Students in a carpentry program built a greenhouse and chicken house on the land, as well as a “community pantry” farm stand.
Reliable access to nutritious food
Food security is top of mind for many of the B.C. First Nations that have begun exploring agricultural programs, said Trevor Kempthorne, a consultant with the First Nations Agriculture Association of B.C.
The association, which began in 1978 but shut down for several years before starting up again in 2018, provides business planning, soil testing and workshops for Indigenous farmers.
“When we’re invited into a community, they tell us what they’d like to do,” he said.
While COVID-19 has highlighted the need for local food sources that aren’t dependent on international markets, remote First Nations can also be cut off from the food supply chain by natural events, such as rock slides.
“It’s all about sustainable agriculture for the community. To be able to grow and supply your own community and have some control over that,” said Kempthorne, adding food security can also lead to employment opportunities, better health and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Statistics Canada figures shows that while Indigenous people are under-represented in agriculture — making up about 2.7 per cent of Canada’s farm population compared to 4.9 per cent of the country’s total population — the number of Indigenous farm operators is rapidly growing.
According to a report based on the results of the 2016 agriculture census, the number of Indigenous agricultural operators increased 53.7 per cent from 2006, compared to a decline of 30 per cent in the total number of agricultural operators.
B.C. had the largest number of First Nations farmers in 2016 with 285, followed by Ontario with 215 and Alberta with 150.
“It should be noted that Aboriginal history has been marked by government policies that affected Aboriginal access to farmland, tools and markets,” said the report. “The recent statistics, then, should be viewed with this history in mind.”
Kempthorne said the most common barrier he’s encountered is access to capital. While some First Nations have high-quality farm land, startup costs for livestock and equipment can be very high. Part of his work includes sourcing funds and financing options for farmers.
“Basically, it’s all about putting together a strong business plan,” he said.
The median gross farm revenue of First Nations agricultural operations was about $18,000, according to the 2016 agriculture census, or about one-quarter of the revenue of farms managed by non-Aboriginal operators.
The census also found First Nations operators were more likely to be part-time farmers and work at an off-farm job or business as well.
The Statistics Canada report concluded “more research on Aboriginal peoples and agriculture re-mains to be done, particularly on the subject of Aboriginal access to agricultural land.”