Food Farm Talk

Ralph Martin’s book is an evocative mix of science, philosophy, memoir, reflection and manifesto for change. And food and farming tie it all together. Food security is certainly a focus, but the book ranges far beyond a narrow view of that phrase. Ralph is a retired professor of plant agriculture at Guelph with an emphasis on organic agriculture and forage crops. The book promo says the following. “Canadians are failing to balance reasonable food consumption with sufficient and sustainable production. The modern agricultural system is producing more and more food. Too much food. The cost is enormous: excess nutrients are contaminating the air and water; soil is being depleted; species loss is plunging us toward the sixth extinction; and farmers, racking up debt, are increasingly vulnerable to economic and climatic shifts. And then there is the waste — householders, food processors, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers collectively waste 40 percent of the food produced. A radical rethink is required. We need to move from excess to enough.” Listen to his discussion with Paul Smith. (Originally aired in 2020).

More information is available at:

https://ralphmartin.ca/

https://www.dundurn.com/books_/t22117/a9781459744028-food-security

https://www.plant.uoguelph.ca/rcmartin

Agriculture played an important role in colonialism and the dispossession of Indigenous peoples. Today it could help build prosperity and reconciliation. We hear from Chief Cadmus Delorme on the history of agriculture and colonialism as it is expressed on Cowessess First Nation, Treaty 4 in Saskatchewan.

In this episode, Chief Delorme traces the history of his First Nation from before European contact, through signing of Treaty 4, the failure to implement Treaty obligations, and the roadblocks to real First Nations engagement in agriculture from the start. Support for European-style agriculture was promised in the numbered treaties of western Canada like Treaty 4, only to be quickly subverted.

Chief Delorme talks about many of the issues regarding these treaties and the Indian Act. The Indian Agents’ power to control First Nations people, the pass system requiring the Indian Agents’ approval of sales of grain and cattle, and arbitrary reductions in the size of the Cowessess reserve land area.

This is a brutal irony as Indigenous people and agriculture have a long history in Canada and on Turtle Island going back thousands of years. The agricultural innovations from Indigenous peoples in the Americas transformed global agriculture after European contact.

This presentation was part of virtual conference in September 2021 on Indigenous Agricultural Innovation held by FHQ Developments and is used with their permission.

Chief Cadmus Delorme, Cree (Nehiyaw) and Saulteaux (Anishinabe), is Chief of the Cowessess First Nation. He came to national attention in 2021 when 751 unmarked graves were identified on Cowessess First Nation. He holds a Master of Public Administration and Bachelor of Business Administration from the First Nations University of Canada, and was also named in CBC Saskatchewan’s Future 40, a list of leaders, builders and change-makers under the age of 40.  (First aired January 2022).

Cowessess First Nation

A Brief History of Indigenous Agriculture

Canada’s First Nations people were country’s first farmers

File Hills Qu’Appelle (FHQ) Developments

File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council

Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations

Indigenous Peoples in Canadian agriculture - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Emily Duncan talks about the quality and safety of the food we eat with Dr. Maria Corradini of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph. Maria discusses her research in food processing and value addition. The discussion highlights the role of food processing in improving the quality, safety and life of food. It emphasizes the need for consumers to appreciate the central role of processing as food moves from farm to table. (Originally aired in 2019).

https://arrellfoodinstitute.ca/experts/maria-corradini/

https://www.uoguelph.ca/foodscience/people/maria-corradini

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Maria_Corradini

New Climate Programs for Canadian Farmers – with Brent Preston. Canada now has new programs aimed at helping farmers adopt practices to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The new federal climate plan released in December 2020 and Budget 2021 made major commitments for funding agriculture climate programs. But are these programs well designed and will they actually help farmers change practices? We explore this topic with Brent Preston of Farmers for Climate Solutions. They advocated for the new $200M On-Farm Climate Action Fund for cover crops, fertilizer management and rotational grazing. Others include $185M for Agriculture Climate Solutions focused on Living Labs research collaborations, $165.7M for Clean Ag Tech Program, and some part of the $631M Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund aimed at agriculture. And the new federal-provincial funding framework for 2023-2028 is being negotiated right now. Will it also increase agri-environmental funding? Canada dramatically underfunds agri-environment efforts compared to Europe and the United States.

Links:

Canada’s Revised Climate Plan

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan.html

On-Farm Climate Action Fund

https://www.canada.ca/en/agriculture-agri-food/news/2021/08/helping-farmers-to-reduce-ghgs-and-improve-resiliency-to-climate-change.html

Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund

https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-funding/programs/nature-smart-climate-solutions-fund.html

Emissions Reduction Plan

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview/emissions-reduction-2030.html

Farmers for Climate Solutions

https://farmersforclimatesolutions.ca/

What a year 2021 was in agriculture and food! Emily, Abdul and Paul get together to review some highlights of events in agriculture and food, from global to local. The UN Food Systems Summit made its mark. Extreme weather and climate change made their impact. Flooding in British Columbia and drought throughout western Canada and northwest Ontario prompted Government assistance to affected farmers. The cooperative Hay West also assisted. Canada’s new climate plan now includes agricultural programs that were confirmed in Budget 2021. A contested Fertilizer Canada study claimed a 30% reduction in emissions due to fertilizer use would cost farmers massive lost production. Equity and reconciliation are receiving attention in agriculture. The Guelph Ministers’ statement shows direction on next federal-provincial-territorial agricultural policy framework. Farmland protection from development was a hot topic across Ontario. Locally in Guelph, we highlighted the work of Our Food Future and the SEED tackling issues of food security and food waste. Those are just a fraction of hot topics in 2021, even without COVID. 

More information: 

UN Food Systems Summit 2021

Canada’s new climate plan

Increases in AgriRecovery funding to up to $500 million to support farmers facing extreme weather

$3 million of Funding for Hay West from Canadian Government https://www.cfa-fca.ca/2021/12/15/cfa-pleased-to-announce-3-million-of-funding-for-hay-west-from-canadian-government-but-more-funding-is-needed-for-coming-months/ 

Ontario Providing Additional Drought Support for Northwestern Farmers

Farm Groups issue joint statement recognizing National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Fertilizer Canada study

Canada’s Ministers of Agriculture hold annual meeting and release Guelph Statement

Our Food Future

The SEED Guelph

Agriculture played an important role in colonialism and today it can hopefully help build reconciliation. We explore how First Nations can pursue prosperity through business development in agriculture and agri-business with Thomas Benjoe, President/CEO of FHQ Developments in Saskatchewan, chair of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce and 2021 Report on Business Changemaker. Thomas and FHQ held a virtual conference in September 2021 on Indigenous Agricultural Innovation.

FHQ Developments is the economic development entity of the File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council, itself a council of 11 First Nations in the Treaty 4 area of Saskatchewan including Saulteaux (Anishnabe), Lakota, Dakota, Nakoda and Cree (Nehiyaw). We explore the opportunities and challenges of First Nations’ economic development including access to capital and credit as well as skills development and training.

Indigenous people and agriculture have a long history in Canada and on Turtle Island. The agricultural innovations from Indigenous peoples in the Americas transformed global agriculture after European contact, with new crops like maize, beans and potatoes. And European-style agriculture was promised as the means for livelihoods in the numbered treaties of western Canada, only to be quickly subverted. Over the next couple of months, we will be doing a series of shows on different aspects of Indigenous agriculture.

File Hills Qu’Appelle (FHQ) Developments

File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council

Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations

Indigenous Peoples in Canadian agriculture - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Soil health and conservation is a hot topic in Canadian agriculture. The Soil Conservation Council of Canada is the only national organization working on soil conservation and Jim Totarchuk, Executive Director of the council, tells us about the council and its work.

In November 2021, the council held their virtual Summit on Canadian Soil Health 2021 with the theme “Healthy Soil – Healthy Planet”. They sponsor the annual Soil Conservation Week in April each year. That has often included a focus on the “Soil Your Undies” test for soil health which has garnered a lot of media and public interest. This “cheeky” test of soil biological health tests a soil’s ability to digest the cotton underwear. The Council also issues a soil health report card, assessing how different parts of Canada are doing on soil conservation. The council has also had a project on the go called the soil carbon road map, summarizing the science on soil carbon in agriculture. Since its founding in 1987, the Council has been the national voice to advance soil conservation in Canada.

More information:

Soil Conservation Council of Canada

Senator Rob Black on soil health

2021 Soil Summit

Soil Conservation Week

“Soil Your Undies”

Soil Health Report Card

Soil health and conservation is a hot topic in Canadian agriculture. The Soil Conservation Council of Canada is the only national organization working on soil conservation and Jim Totarchuk, Executive Director of the council, tells us about the council and its work.

In November 2021, the council held their virtual Summit on Canadian Soil Health 2021 with the theme “Healthy Soil – Healthy Planet”. They sponsor the annual Soil Conservation Week in April each year. That has often included a focus on the “Soil Your Undies” test for soil health which has garnered a lot of media and public interest. This “cheeky” test of soil biological health tests a soil’s ability to digest the cotton underwear. The Council also issues a soil health report card, assessing how different parts of Canada are doing on soil conservation. The council has also had a project on the go called the soil carbon road map, summarizing the science on soil carbon in agriculture. Since its founding in 1987, the Council has been the national voice to advance soil conservation in Canada.

More information:

Soil Conservation Council of Canada

Senator Rob Black on soil health

2021 Soil Summit

Soil Conservation Week

“Soil Your Undies”

Soil Health Report Card

What a year 2021 was in agriculture and food! Emily, Abdul and Paul get together to review some highlights of events in agriculture and food, from global to local. The UN Food Systems Summit made its mark. Extreme weather and climate change made their impact. Flooding in British Columbia and drought throughout western Canada and northwest Ontario prompted Government assistance to affected farmers. The cooperative Hay West also assisted. Canada’s new climate plan now includes agricultural programs that were confirmed in Budget 2021. A contested Fertilizer Canada study claimed a 30% reduction in emissions due to fertilizer use would cost farmers massive lost production. Equity and reconciliation are getting attention in agriculture. The Guelph Ministers’ statement shows direction on next federal-provincial-territorial agricultural policy framework. Farmland protection from development was a hot topic across Ontario. Locally in Guelph, we highlighted the work of Our Food Future and the SEED tackling issues of food security and food waste. Those are just a fraction of hot topics in 2021, even without COVID.

More information:

UN Food Systems Summit

https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit

Canada’s new climate plan

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview/healthy-environment-healthy-economy.html

AgriRecovery funding for farmers facing extreme weather

https://www.canada.ca/en/agriculture-agri-food/news/2021/08/government-of-canada-increases-total-agrirecovery-funding-to-up-to-500-million-to-support-farmers-facing-extreme-weather.html

$3 million of Funding for Hay West

https://www.cfa-fca.ca/2021/12/15/cfa-pleased-to-announce-3-million-of-funding-for-hay-west-from-canadian-government-but-more-funding-is-needed-for-coming-months/

Ontario's Drought Support for Northwestern Farmers

https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1000835/ontario-providing-additional-drought-support-for-northwestern-farmers

Farm groups issue statement on reconciliation

Fertilizer Canada study

https://fertilizercanada.ca/news-events/news/new-report-warns-of-potential-for-48-billion-loss-in-farm-income-if-fertilizer-reductions-are-required-of-growers/

Canada’s Ministers of Agriculture release Guelph Statement

https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/agri-info/canadas-ministers-agriculture-hold-annual-meeting-and-release-guelph-statement

Farmers hampered by excessive rain

https://www.producer.com/news/ontario-farmers-hampered-by-excessive-rain/

Our Food Future

https://foodfuture.ca/

The SEED Guelph

https://theseedguelph.ca/