National engagement: Indigenous Agriculture & Food Systems (IAFS)
Overview
The Indigenous Agriculture and Food Systems project is now underway. Throughout 2025, engagement sessions brought together Indigenous and industry voices to share knowledge, experiences, and ideas that reflect the diversity of agriculture across the country. The insights gathered will guide documentation and exploration of themes and opportunities in 2026.
With engagement led by Mokwateh, this collaborative effort focuses on listening, learning, and identifying practical ways to strengthen relationships and support the growth of Indigenous agriculture and food systems in Canada. The findings from these engagements will help inform future actions, partnerships, and areas of collaboration that contribute to a stronger, more inclusive agricultural landscape—one that reflects and respects Indigenous knowledge, leadership, and aspirations.Vision
Bringing Reconciliation to Life in Agriculture.
Anchored in partnership and shared prosperity, Farm Credit Canada’s (FCC) focus on reconciliation as part of a stronger, more inclusive agriculture sector reflects a long-term commitment to meaningful change. The Indigenous Agriculture and Food Systems (IAFS) project brings this commitment to life as a collaborative effort between FCC and Mokwateh.
Led by Mokwateh, this national, multi-year engagement is gathering Indigenous and industry voices to shape how FCC can best support and advance reconciliation across agriculture. Grounded in Indigenous knowledge and leadership, this process is creating space for shared learning, relationship-building, and new opportunities to grow inclusive, resilient, and sustainable food systems across Canada.
Themes
Conversations will explore:
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Land Access and Management
Access, governance, and use of lands for agriculture and food systems, traditional practices around hunting, fishing, trapping, and gathering. -
Food Security
Community priorities, sovereignty and sustainable models. -
Economic & Market Opportunities
Indigenous entrepreneurship, value chains, diversification, opportunities in aquaculture, non-timber forest products, and value-added production. -
Capital Solutions
Financing structures and barriers to accessing capital.
Sample engagement questions:
- How does hunting, fishing, trapping, and gathering support food security and/or economic wellbeing in your community?
- What are the biggest barriers to using land for agriculture and food systems?
- What makes it difficult to access financing? What financing structures would meet your real needs?
- What agriculture or food sectors show the most opportunity for growth and what is driving interest in those areas?
Get Involved
Indigenous agriculture and food systems are rooted in relationships — with the land, soil, water, and air — and in knowledge carried through generations. Join an inclusive, focused, and culturally respectful engagement journey.
Explore insights, share perspectives, and discover opportunities.
If you’re a producer, harvester, business owner, community member, entrepreneur, researcher, or partner, we invite you to share what you’re seeing on the ground: what’s working, what barriers you’re navigating (from infrastructure and market access to processing, regulations, capital, capacity, or data gaps), and what supports would make the biggest difference. Your story will help build awareness and strengthen understanding so we can contribute to more informed, respectful, and community-prioritized approaches.
Participate in our focused workshops held from February-May 2026.
Join us at upcoming conferences or events.
