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Young farmers from across Canada say the current industrial food model needs to change. (Cammie Harbottle) |
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The National Farmers Union Youth say we must increase the number of young farmers in Canada.
"Between 1991 and 2006 the number of farmers under 35-years-old
decreased by over 60 percent," says Kalissa Regier, a 31-year-old
organic grain farmer.
That's a trend that Regier and other young farmers gathered in
Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia over the weekend are hoping to change.
Regier, President of the National Farmers Union Youth (NFUY), flew
in from her farm in Saskatchewan to join a dozen other young farmers
(some aspiring, most already farming) from across the country in a NFUY
workshop and training weekend.
The barriers to young farmers are huge, says Regier, and include a
global industrial food system that makes it difficult for farmers to
sell their product at a fair price. The NFUY, the youth arm of the
National Farmers Union, is committed to building a different kind of
food system, says Regier, one that is economically viable for family
farms, socially just and locally focused.
A key focus of the weekend was the group's Campaign for New Farmers;
a campaign that aims to increase the number of farmers in Canada.
In order to start farming, you need access to land and equipment,
says Cammie Harbottle, a 28-year-old vegetable farmer and Vice
President of the NFUY. She says many young farmers have difficulty
finding a bank willing to lend them money for start-up costs.
Harbottle, who farmed for six years in British Colombia and is entering
her second season in Colchester County, is having difficulty securing
capital to build the packing shed she needs in order to wash and pack
her vegetable for market.
Tyrel Murray has been farming for three years with his brother Chad
on family land in Pictou County and is facing similar challenges. The
Murrays need infrastructure, specifically greenhouses and barn space,
but currently lack the capital needed to take their operation to the
next level.
Advocating for policies that support young farmers, for example
policies that provide access to capital, is just one of the aims of the
Campaign for New Farmers, says Harbottle.
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National Farmers Union Youth (Terran Giacomini) |
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In the meantime, and despite the odds, the young farmers crowded
into a room at the Tatamagouche Centre are choosing farming, and
growing food for their communities.
Regier is returning home to plant over 1000 acres of grain in
Saskatchewan. The Murrays have started a farmers market in New Glasgow
that is gaining momentum and popularity. Harbottle has started seeding
in her greenhouse and plans to expand her markets in Halifax and
Tatamagouche.
When asked why she farms, Harbottle doesn't hesitate, "Because I
love it and it makes sense to me," she says. "It's always made sense
to me to grow food. We need to show people how to grow food and how to
connect with their food at the local level."
In a profession that Murray describes as "working like hell and not
making much money," the feeling of optimism and enthusiasm amongst the
young farmers is difficult to ignore.
"There's been a shift in the current," says Murray. "A shift in the
thinking [about local food], enough to lead me to believe that it could
be a healthy industry again."
Hillary Lindsay is coordinator with the Halifax Media Co-op and a member of the National Farmers Union.
Halifax Media Co-op