AgLinks.com Your one-stop shop for all things agriculture and rural Free Simple Easy introduction to Indigenous knowledge and science. She says that not only is the enrollment in the new BIESP program growing, but students from other course streams are interested in taking the Indigenous courses as electives. With an extensive environmental management and policy development background, Chiblow embodies the program’s objectives of braiding together Indigenous and non-Indigenous teachings and practices. As a professor, she’s emphasizing reciprocity and the responsibility of giving back after taking from the land and all beings, including agriculture practices that are centred around land and water. “We are all connected through water, including agriculture and farming, and are responsible for water quality and quantity,” says Chiblow, explaining that an Indigenous view of water encompasses the spirit of the water and the importance of respecting water for its ability to nourish everything, including ourselves, plants, and soil. “Without enough clean water, everyone and everything is impacted, including farmers who rely on it for their crops, the ability to harvest those crops, and the economics that come from selling the crop.” Through the degree program, students are taught the Indigenous worldview on water and how to respect water in a more holistic and sustainable way. Pelchat is eager to learn more about how reverence applies to land management and regeneration. “Everything is built around respecting what we have. What we’re missing is reciprocity with Indigenous peoples and to the land,” says Pelchat. “We need to give back to the land after we take what we need from it.” TWO LENS VIEW “When we learn from both sides — Western and traditional science — we can build a more sustainable framework for our natural resources,” explains Pelchat, who says one of her biggest takeaways from the BIESP program so far has been the ability to view problems through a double lens. Pelchat first read about this concept from Albert Marshall, a respected Mi’kmaq Elder and is adopting it into her own practices. “Through one lens, we can see problems through our Indigenous science knowledge, and through the other, we can see them through our Western science approach. By weaving these two competencies together, we can find new, more sustainable solutions to address issues like land use, managing soil health, and water quality.” While Pelchat is applying her expanded view and tools to her own land regeneration business, Wild Child Regeneration, in her home base of Durham, Ontario, she believes the same concepts can be applied on a larger scale to Ontario farms. “Armed with these new tools of integrating sciences, we can open doors to build partnerships with Indigenous communities who have so much knowledge to share,” says Pelchat. “I hope this program can teach and inspire future leaders who can appreciate and apply a holistic approach to land management and agriculture.” Chiblow says it is expected students enrolled in the BIESP program will develop a new set of skills and tools that can be used to take an expanded approach to environmental issues. “Our society has created problems, and now we need solutions. An understanding of both knowledge systems is needed to develop environmental policies for a more sustainable framework.” l ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER 27 JUNE/JULY 2023 The first in Canada, the BIESP program combines science and Indigenous knowledge for a one-of-a-kind degree.
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