The federal agriculture department has announced $2.1 million will be dispersed from its Indigenous Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative to three organizations.
The Indian Agricultural Program of Ontario in Stirling, Ont., gets up to $999,900 to provide comprehensive, culturally-relevant agricultural extension and business advisory services in Ontario and Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Alberta.
This project aims to support First Nations communities in primary agriculture and make them aware of existing programs for agriculture and food sectors that could help them.
The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) will receive almost $1 million for a three-year pilot project, growing traditional Indigenous plants and foods in a community garden as well as in a year-round winterized greenhouse, located on the rooftop of NWAC’s new head offices in Gatineau, Quebec.
The greenhouse will ensure a supply of medicines, herbs, fruits and vegetables year round for NWAC’s commercial kitchen, which caters NWAC training and workshops, offers training to Indigenous women in the culinary field, and supplies NWAC’s café where profits generated from sales go back in to supporting NWAC’s operations.
The Wikwemikong Development Commission has been given $49,500 to plan and design a physical space in Wikwemikong that will support Indigenous agri-tourism on Manitoulin Island.
