Each year, Farm Credit Canada hosts the Future of Food Conference to celebrate Canada’s Agriculture Day. Farm Credit invited Canadian Food Focus and Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan to take part with an informational exhibit so that attendees could learn more about the different non-profit stakeholder groups working in agriculture.
Dorothy Long and Penny Eaton attended the conference and had the opportunity to connect with our friends and collaborators at Farm & Food Care Ontario and Farm & Food Care Prince Edward Island. It was wonderful to meet up in person and share ways we’re working to help engage consumers with agriculture in our respective regions.
We also had the opportunity to speak with many conference attendees about Canadian Food Focus and how we’re answering consumer questions about farming and food through our website and social channels as well as through farm tours and outreach to food influencers. We’re doing great work with Canadian Food Focus, but it’s important to ensure that more folks in the ag sector are aware of this initiative and what we’re achieving.
The conference sessions explored some of the actions needed for Canada’s agriculture sector to become more productive, especially in a setting where protectionism will continue to increase. For more information on the 2025 conference, visit https://thefutureoffood.ca/en/#agenda
The day after the Future of Food, Long and Eaton attended the National Circle for Indigenous Agriculture & Food’s Wo Inina conference. “Wo inina” is a Dakota term meaning to listen, learn and to act. The conference offered inspiring stories about Indigenous-led agricultural projects across the country, including a brewing company on Manitoulin Island, a community garden project in Ochapowace Nation in Saskatchewan, salmon farming for the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation in BC and building ‘food warriors’ in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation in Manitoba. Incredible work from the NCIAF to foster development of Indigenous agriculture and advance reconciliation within the agriculture industry. More information here: https://nciaf.ca/
Attending national events such as Future of Food and Wo Inina is an important way to build connections with other passionate ag folks and continue to discover new ways to collaborate.