First Nations farmers are growing opportunity and better food for all – The Globe And Mail

At Tea Creek, an Indigenous-led farm and training program located near Kitwanga in northern B.C., business consultant-turned-farmer Jacob Beaton uses regenerative agricultural techniques to grow thousands of pounds of potatoes, carrots, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cabbage and tomatoes every year. But his bigger mission is to support Indigenous food sovereignty, and to help other Indigenous people connect to their agricultural heritage.

Unfortunately, he is one of the few Indigenous farmers currently operating in this country. The first farmers on this land were Indigenous — as early as the 1400s, First Nations peoples were practising agriculture in what is now known as Manitoba and the Dakotas. In fact, many of our favourite foods — corn, squash, blueberries — were first cultivated by First Nations farmers. However, by 2021, just 2.8 percent of the farm population identified as Indigenous.

Read More: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/small-business/article-first-nations-farmers-are-growing-opportunity-and-better-food-for-all/