Farm & Food Care’s mission is to build public trust in farming and food. There are three such organizations in Canada: one in Prince Edward Island, one in Ontario and one in Saskatchewan. All three work to answer consumer questions and increase confidence in our food system and understanding of how farmers grow food.
The Farm & Food Care team across Canada recently completed a joint project funded through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The four-year, $1.5-million project included work on a series of activities, including:
- Expansion of content and reach of Canadian Food Focus, our national consumer-facing outreach program
- Development of Faces Behind Food, which profiles Canadian farmers from all sectors of agriculture
- Creation and sharing of new online virtual farm and food tours through FarmFood 360°
- Preparation and distribution of a new edition of the Real Dirt on Farming resource
- Tours and engagement to help food influencers learn first-hand what it is like on a farm
- Training for farmers and businesses on how to communicate effectively with non-farmers
Just within the Canadian Food Focus activity, the project allowed for the development of a What’s In Season database about Canadian-grown fruits and vegetables; over 60 captioned videos about different types of farms from across Canada; 28 Ask a Farmer or Ask an Expert videos; a Learn to Cook section focusing on preparing Canadian ingredients; and a French-language version of the site, to name a few highlights. The Canadian Food Focus community of followers grew from 947 in 2019 to over 19,000 in 2023 and this initiative now regularly reaches more than 2 million Canadians each month.
The overall project took place from 2019 to 2023 and not only helped to develop a whole new suite of resources for public trust in agriculture, it also brought the three Farm & Food Cares closer together.
“Our programs became much more national through this project,” said Penny Eaton, Operations Manager for Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan. “We developed some fantastic national resources and we continue to work together to share materials, plan joint activities and celebrate each other’s successes. We’re all working to improve trust in agriculture across Canada.”
Farm & Food Care in Saskatchewan, Ontario and PEI are currently working together on the development of another joint project under the new Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
Farm & Food Care would like to thank Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian Agricultural Partnership for investing in our ongoing work to build trust in farming and food in Canada.