New Farm Project celebrates local food and farmers

Dec 02, 2010

Photo: New Farm Project panelists l-r: Wendy Luella Perkins, Paul Bowman, Bob Lovelace, and Tibrata Gillies

Over 120 foodies, farmers and others interested in local farming and food production gathered at the Golden Links hall in Harrowsmith on Nov.28 for the National Farmers’ Union's (NFU) New Farm Project's annual Fall Gathering.

Initiated through the NFU’s local 316 in 2008, the goald of the New Farm Project (NFP) is to find new ways to encourage farming to meet the increasing demand for local food.

The project is sponsored by Heifer International and is designed to build farm community and capacity through three primary objectives. First by supporting farmers through gifts of training, livestock, seed and other farm equipment. Each year the NFP aims to support both new and established farmers and this year alone a total of 12 new farmers participated. The project’s second objective is to establish CRAFT Kingston, a farmers’ training network and internship program made available to those considering a career in farming.

The third objective is to build local food system capacity thorough promotion, marketing, distribution and public education by hosting various community events and programs.

A number of new workshops were held this past year on a variety of topics, including production economics, goat milk soap making, scything, agri-tourism, pastured poultry, greenhouses and sweet potatoes.

Paul Bowman, leader of the local Entheos spiritual community, moderated this year’s panel discussion on the topic: The Spirit of Farming, Food and Community.

Retired First Nations chief Bob Lovelace, activist and professor at Queens University spoke first and highlighted the idea that everyone has within them the roots of an indigenous way of life, one where people learn from the land and develop life styles that are knowledge-based. He cited the important needs for 1) new revolutionary ideas to redesign the political structures in which we currently live, and 2) for us to become stewards rather than merely citizens.

Tibrata Gillies, passionate farmer, chef, and culinary professor at St. Lawrence College, begun by stating, “Food is my life's work and my life mission; it's my way of giving back to the world.” She focused on the sacredness of food, how every living thing on this earth depends on it and its uncanny, centuries-old ability to build sharing, community and peace in the world. “All of us have a sacred role to play which is a choice we all have to make and no matter your role, we all have the ability to maximize the vitality of food at every step of the way.”

Singer, songwriter and minister Wendy Luella Perkins was the panel’s final speaker and she compared a store-bought red grapefruit to a locally grown squash, saying how little we know about the veritable “United Nations” array of products food that fill store shelves and how often people who delight in these apparent choices are in fact buying into a corporate, unethical sham. “We've given our power over to a global food system that privileges corporate interests over people, bank accounts over health, and shareholders rights over public rights.”

While the panel raised a number of serious concerns facing local farmers and foodies, a scrumptious lunch was shared by all, and the overall feeling of the day was one of camaraderie and celebration.

This year the NFU Local 316's New Farm Project was named the regional award winner of the Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence.

Upcoming in the new year the NFP is offering a 5 part course in Jan/Feb, 2011 to help new and aspiring farmers explore their new farm dream. A number of workshops including online marketing and website tips, practical skills for fruit tree production, small scale grain production, cover crops and green manures, poultry processing and medicinal herbs will also be offered. For more information please visit www.nfu.newfarmproject.ca

Also to note: The Local 316 will be holding their AGM on Dec. 9, 7:30pm at the Sydenham Town hall and Aric McBay will speak on the topic of “Building Community Resilience”. Everyone is welcome to attend. New members are welcome (and need not be farmers).