Empowering Indigenous agriculture

Earlier this year, a surprising figure emerged regarding Canada’s agriculture sector – increasing the participation of Indigenous Peoples within agriculture and bridging the gap in farm income between Indigenous and non-Indigenous farm operations could translate into a $1.5-billion boost in agriculture Gross Domestic Product.

Indigenous leadership

Enter the National Circle for Indigenous Agriculture and Food (NCIAF), an Indigenous-led, non-profit organization working closely with Indigenous entrepreneurs and communities that are starting, growing or scaling agriculture and food projects.

While FCC, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture and MNP contribute financial and service-in-kind support to the NCIAF, many other stakeholders are discussing how to support Indigenous agriculture and food.

Tailored services

Acting as a hub for First Nations, Inuit and Métis to accelerate in business and agriculture, NCIAF connects entrepreneurs to industry stakeholders. NCIAF President and CEO, Kallie Wood, emphasizes that the organization’s tailored services meet the specific needs of Indigenous communities while approaching agriculture through an Indigenous lens.

“We work on various projects across Canada, connecting communities based on their capacity and needs,” Wood says. “Traditional harvesting, hunting, fishing and trapping have provided food security and sovereignty to our communities since time immemorial. Anything Mother Earth provides to feed our people is agriculture.”

Sustainable practices

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