In this bonus episode of the SAP series, we sit down with two of our coordinators from our Siksikaitsitapi Agriculture Project (SAP): Riel Houle and Nathan Provost. Both are proud members of the Piikani First Nation and bring Blackfoot cultural knowledge and their own personal connections to the land and agriculture to their work. 

This conversation explores what regenerative agriculture can look like in Blackfoot communities and how traditional knowledge and community leadership are shaping the future of Blackfoot agriculture in Alberta.

Riel and Nathan reflect on their personal connections to farming and food systems, the evolution of agriculture in Piikani over the years and the importance of restoring local food systems to address food security in their communities. They also introduce listeners to the SAP advisory committee, made up of representatives from the four nations of the Blackfoot Confederacy—Piikani, Kainai, Siksika and Amskapi Piikani—and share their thoughts on the potential of community-led agricultural projects.

This episode offers valuable insights into land stewardship, the importance of community consultation and how Blackfoot knowledge can guide meaningful climate solutions for farming and ranching in southern Alberta and beyond.

Highlights:

To listen to our other podcast episodes from the SAP project, visit the producers resource hub.

In this episode of the Rural Routes to Climate Solutions podcast, we’re reconnecting with an old friend of the podcast, Api’soomaahka (translation: Running Coyote). His English name is William Singer III.

Api’soomaahka is an artist, land-based educator and founder of Naapi’s Garden and Katoyiss Seed Bank. He returns to the podcast to share updates on his powerful work around restoring native plants, reconnecting people with land-based wellness and revitalizing Blackfoot ecological knowledge in his community.

Joining our Siksikaitsitapi Agricultural Project host, Lance Tailfeathers, is guest host Riel Houle, Outreach Coordinator at RR2CS, for a thoughtful roundtable conversation about the transformative power of land stewardship and traditional food systems.

In this episode, we hear stories of restoring sweetgrass, wild turnip, wild carrot and combating invasive species. This episode goes deeper than land restoration, we are introduced to the story of Katoyiss – a Blackfoot hero who travelled across the land setting things right and restoring balance. Api’soomaahka draws compelling parallels between Katoyiss’ story and the modern-day work of land stewards: restoring balance to ecosystems, food systems and community health.

Highlights:

Listen to our earlier interview with Api’soomaaahka on native plants here.

Welcome to Restoring the Margins, our brand new podcast series, in partnership with the Prairie Precision Sustainability Network (PPSN). This series explores how agriculture producers in the Prairies can take their marginal lands and turn them into something both more profitable and more beneficial for the environment. In this opening episode, we’re joined by Dr. Christy Morrissey, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and a lead researcher with the PPSN.

Dr. Morrissey walks us through the PPSN project; a prairies-wide project that uses satellite imagery combined with yield and profit data to help identify marginal lands, with the goal of supporting producers to restore them. Together, we explore how restoring these lands can be a win-win: helping producers improve their bottom line while also supporting biodiversity and the environment.

This podcast has been funded by the Prairie Precision Sustainability Network and the University of Saskatchewan. 

Music credits: We’d like to thank Floating Temples for the use of their track Spring Wood in this series.

Our Farmer’s Blog is also a great source for stories of producers in Alberta who are going the extra mile with their management practices for the land, food and their communities.

In this episode of the Siksikaitsitapi Agriculture Project (SAP) podcast series, Lance Tailfeathers sits down with Wolf Caller (Elliot Fox), a leader in land management and now a member of Kainai First Nation’s Council. They discuss the past, present and future of agriculture in Kainai First Nation in southern Alberta, exploring how Blackfoot ways of knowing can help to protect water systems against droughts, enhance food security and protect native species.

Wolf Caller (Elliot) shares his journey in environmental conservation and land management, from his early days with Parks Canada to his work with the Blackfoot Confederacy Tribal Council. The conversation then dives into the historical significance of agriculture on the Kainai Reserve, how colonial policies disrupted that self-sufficiency and the potential for sustainable, community-based food production today.

We’ve got more podcast episodes, and a Farmer’s Blog from members of the Blackfoot community. If you want to learn more, check out the Siksikaitsitapi Agriculture section of our resource package. Mentioned in this episode:

Wrapping up our Stories of Regeneration tour, we land in Ottawa at Just Food Community Farm, a 150-acre farmstead located in Ottawa’s Greenbelt that is championing small-scale, viable agriculture businesses and initiatives like Chi Garden and Urban Fresh Produce.

Dedicated to cultivating a thriving local food economy and sustainable farming sector, Just Food integrates agroecology-based conservation with land stewardship. The farm is a testament to how community-led initiatives can redefine our food systems, offering food sovereignty for all, including newcomers to Canada. Its Start-up Farm Program addresses the critical barrier of land access, turning aspiring individuals into farmers and fostering community regeneration.

Highlighting this unique model, Chadwick Lewis (Urban Fresh Produce) and Sun Shan (Chi Garden), participants of the program, share their experiences in our series finale, underscoring the farm’s role in sustainable agriculture and community building.

If you want to learn more, we recommend you check out the following:

Our Farmers Blog shares stories about Alberta farmers who do an exceptional job of caring for the land, producing food, and building up their communities.

This podcast has been partially funded by Agriculture and Agri-food Canada

On the second-last stop in our Stories of Regeneration tour, we returned to Alberta, making a stop at Peony Farms in Lacombe.

Facing his daughter’s health issues, rancher Craig Cameron and his family turned to regenerative farming to grow the healthiest food possible for her. Craig, alongside his father-in-law Peter DenOudsten, shifted their traditional beef farm to a regenerative model. They now grow over 10 types of grass and clover, use less fertilizer, and produce some of the healthiest, most nutritious beef you can find.

If you want to learn more, we recommend you check out the following:

Our Farmers Blog shares stories about Alberta farmers who do an exceptional job of caring for the land, producing food, and building up their communities.

This podcast has been partially funded by Agriculture and Agri-food Canada

In these final three episodes of the series, we’ll be doing some light exploration into the relationship between society and regenerative agriculture and how one can help advance the other. But the real meat and potatoes of the last three episodes, just like in all the other episodes in this series, will be about getting to know and understand the boots on the ground folks who are leading the way on this change that we are seeing in the agriculture sector.

Meet Rebecca Harbut and Mike Bomford from Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) in Richmond, BC—prime examples of such trailblazers. Now, you might wonder, how do university professors fit the description of being ‘on the ground’? Well, let me tell you, KPU isn’t just any university; it boasts a farm that lies at the heart of Rebecca and Mike’s endeavors.

Moreover, as we’ve touched upon throughout this podcast series, with Canada’s population nearing the 40 million mark, farm and ranch operators, along with farm laborers, represent a mere fraction—around 1%—of the populace. The takeaway here? It’s going to require a collective effort, involving many of us outside the traditional farming community, to partner with that crucial 1%. This collaboration is key to expanding regenerative agriculture from a niche practice to a widespread one.

If you want to learn more, we recommend you check out the following:

Our Farmers Blog shares stories about Alberta farmers who do an exceptional job of caring for the land, producing food, and building up their communities.

This podcast has been partially funded by Agriculture and Agri-food Canada

For this very special French-language episode of the Rural Routes to Climate Solutions podcast, recorded in the late summer of 2023 during the Stories of Regeneration tour, Sara Maranda-Gauvin of Regeneration Canada talked with brothers Vincent and Simon-Pierre Bolduc of La Station: an organic farm and cheese factory in the Eastern Townships of Quebec.

The Bolduc brothers are the 4th generation of farmers in their family enterprise. While La Station has been practicing organic farming since their childhood, in 1996, the brothers keep improving on the agricultural practices in place, turning to regenerative agriculture to create a healthy environment for the soil, the livestock and the human beings who are working with both.

If you want to learn more, we recommend you check out the following:

Our Farmers Blog shares stories about Alberta farmers who do an exceptional job of caring for the land, producing food, and building up their communities.

This podcast has been partially funded by Agriculture and Agri-food Canada

If you are a lifelong learner, being an agricultural producer is almost the perfect profession for you. 

Other economic sectors evolve and adapt over the years, but since nature doesn’t work off of blueprints, learning and adapting in agriculture can happen over days, even hours. You never know what Mother Nature is going to dish out, whether it is going to be the good, the bad or the ugly, so being able to observe, learn and adapt can be just as handy as mechanical skills. 

And now we have educational programs that blend Blackfoot ways of knowing and agriculture.

In this episode of Rural Routes to Climate Solutions, we are taking a look at the Red Crow Community College’s Niitsitapi Agriculture Certificate Program with JR Weasel Fat of Kainai. It is a one-year diploma program on agricultural production and business management that also provides an opportunity to do the second year of the program at Olds College.

Our Farmers Blog shares stories about Alberta farmers who do an exceptional job of caring for the land, producing food, and building up their communities.

During the growing season of 2023 as summer turned into fall, the Rural Routes to Climate Solutions podcast and Regeneration Canada were on the final leg of the Stories of Regeneration tour. After covering most of the Prairies and most of central and eastern Canada in the summer, our months-long journey came to an end in Canada’s two most western provinces around harvest time.

This next phase of our journey brought us to Cawston, British Columbia, acclaimed as the Organic Farming Capital of Canada. At Snowy Mountain Farms, managed by Aaron Goddard and his family, you will find a 12-acre farm that boasts over 70 varieties of fruits such as cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, pears, apples, and quince. Aaron employs regenerative agriculture practices to cultivate and sustain living soils, which are essential for producing fruit that is not only delicious but also rich in nutrients.

If you want to learn more, we recommend you check out the following:

Our Farmers Blog shares stories about Alberta farmers who do an exceptional job of caring for the land, producing food, and building up their communities.

This podcast has been partially funded by Agriculture and Agri-food Canada