ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER RURAL LIVING 33 “Program participants engage in hands-on learning by planting and growing food in gardens and learning about topics such as soil health, plant nutrition, crop rotation, and pest control "Increasing diversity in the agricultural industry is crucial for the future resiliency of our food system, said Nova Scotia Agriculture Minister Greg Morrow of the Bridge into Agriculture following the launch of the Bridge into Agriculture program in 2022. "The Department of Agriculture is excited to participate in the Bridge into Agriculture training project to help increase food growing skills in the African Nova Scotian community and to inspire community members to consider agricultural careers and entrepreneurship," he added. AN ONTARIO PERSPECTIVE People from marginalized communities face similar challenges in Ontario, says Angel Beyde, strategic partnership and eastern Ontario director with the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (EAFO). Beyde co-facilitates EFAO’s Network for Black, Indigenous, and farmers of colour, formed to support farmers who face ongoing systemic marginalization due to racism. The Network, which started with 40 people engaged in a consultation in 2020, has grown to a membership of about 180; made up of EFAO community members, including farmers, land stewards, and those engaged in food/farming-related work, the Network offers virtual and in-person networking and learning opportunities. Access to land and capital, says Beyde, is one of the biggest barriers; she estimates that more than 60 per cent of the group members are landless, with many others in precarious leasing situations. There are limited government programs and other resources designed to provide financial (or other) support to small-scale farmers and those that exist don’t tend to address structural barriers faced by the racialized farmers in the Network. “The feedback we've gotten is that most of the Network members do not have access to inherited land or family roots in a rural community, which are two factors that would make starting a small farm enterprise much more doable. Furthermore, there are many, many obstacles to applying for the limited loans, grants and other financial supports that exist. Just one technical example is that many programs require a business registration number. This in turn requires the farmer to have an income of $7,000. New entrant farmers without the support of inherited land are often working off-farm full time, because they need to have enough income to pay the bills and raise capital for the farm enterprise, and it is a challenge to make $7,000 selling vegetables from, for example, a rented quarter acre plot while you're also working full time doing something else.” “And while these are issues for all farmers, they're really exacerbated for farmers who are facing these systemic barriers,” Looking ahead, Beyde says EAFO wants to ensure that Black, Indigenous, and people of colour have their voices heard when it comes to advocacy for a new entrant strategy to be part of the next five-year Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP) that launches in 2028. “It's become clear that we really need agricultural programs that have an equity lens, that specifically support new entrants to get into and stay in farming and reduce the barriers like access to land, to capital, to knowledge,” she says. “[Members need support] to navigate the sector, adapt to climate change, and then as well, policies that recognize and support the need for wraparound supports like mental health, housing and labour.” Find out more about EAFO’s Network for Black, Indigenous, and people of colour at efao.ca/bipoc-farmer-network. February is Black History Month. To learn more about the history of Afro-Canadians, visit https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/ campaigns/black-history-month.html. •
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