Abigail Scott grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Treaty 1 territory in the Canadian Prairies, spending summers on the lakes of Treaty 3 territory in Northwestern Ontario. Over the last several years she has volunteered on farms, conservation projects, and learned with Indigenous peoples’ in New Zealand, Fiji, Australia, and El Salvador. After graduating in 2022 from the University of Winnipeg with a B.A. in International Development Studies, she wanted to work with her hands. In the seasons since, she has worked at a social enterprise farm growing food and encouraging youth to build community, managed a volunteer community garden project, and worked on a 5-acre market farm.
Tristan Nell has lived his entire life on a family farm near Francis, Saskatchewan. The farm currently operates on 4,200 cropped acres, growing a variety of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, and spices. He owns five cows and a bottle calf that he raised over the summer. He loves being out in nature and surrounded by all kinds of animals. Next year, he will be attending the University of Saskatchewan for a degree in Environmental Biology. He hopes to get a summer job with Nature Saskatchewan or a similar organization. Eventually, he will likely pursue a career in farming and take over the family farm.
Here is Abigail’s winning essay:
Driving home in evening summer traffic, I’ll be returning home sore, covered in some dust and dirt and a lot of sweat. As I’m driving I miss the oncoming traffic of those leaving the city centre on their way home from work, just as I missed them on their way into the city that morning. My work was outside the city, between canola, corn, and soy fields, and small towns. There are small farms producing local food in ecological ways all over the Canadian prairies. Most nights I arrive home, shower, make food if I can, eat, stretch and go to sleep as early as I can. Many farm workers around the world are exploited, and I am lucky to have had experiences working for fair and understanding farmers. As I move my body in different positions throughout the day, prepping, planting, weeding, harvesting, washing, packing, the energy it takes to make a single radish feels so great. It feels like alchemy; from dirt we make gold. At the farmers’ market people comment on how expensive the produce may be, I wonder are they as critical at the grocery store, do they think about where that food comes from, and what it takes to get it to their plate?
Driving back from work with a front seat full of fresh vegetables on most days, stepping into the grocery store feels more and more like a foreign place. When you see the time and work it takes to cultivate a single tomato, cucumber, potato or an ear of corn and the history and choices that have created these foods we eat today. The grocery store is a magical place full of anything and everything you could ever and never have wanted. Fresh foods available all year round, whenever you crave them. However, we are disconnected from time, valuing convenience and price over the time it takes to grow, make, package, transport all the foods on our plates.
Food is political, we in the Global North, at the simplest level are connected to most of the world through our grocery stores, going beyond reading the nutrition information or the ingredients list, what about where that product came from? Do we have the freedoms to make choices for ourselves? Food security is the ability to access affordable healthy foods, but it is a one-dimensional solution to a greater problem. Food sovereignty as defined by Via Campesina, an international farmers organization, as “the right of Peoples’ to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.” A healthy food system recognizes food as a right, it localizes control of food and food production, it values the producers, and promotes agroecological methods that help restore the environment.
From the farm the question of how to get food to the people is the purpose. The schedule of markets can be taxing on farmers, and unless small farms set up their own direct-to-consumer platform, which can also be a challenge with all the other demands of the season. Both producers and customers are confined to the seasonal schedule of the farmers’ markets to access local produce, and this is if there are markets available for both to attend. We need systems working to connect these gap. Iin my city a local food co-op was established in 2016, Fireweed Food Co-op is a community service multi-stakeholder co-op, connecting producer members with consumer members. Iit operates all year round and is able to store and distribute local vegetables, fruits, grains, meat and more. They have also established programs to address food insecure areas and communities lacking access to fresh produce with a pay what you can model. In the past year they have struggled with funding operations, while large canola and corn farms get subsidies, many small farmers struggle and grassroots community organizations are losing funding all around my city.
A just farmland future prioritizes smaller scale and ecological farmers and makes it convenient for the community to access the food that is grown closest to them. As a farm worker, a farm’s future is a livable wage, the understanding that seasonal farmworkers put in the sweat equity to make sure small ecological and organic farms can operate and scale up. With a short growing season in Canada the work is never year round, leaving many without jobs for 5 to 6 months of the year. The barriers to owning or accessing land makes it harder to progress in the field and become a farm owner. Due to job insecurity, there is a lack of reliable farm workers, tiring work, the barriers to land ownership, and an uncertain future are reasons we are losing young farmers. Local farms are vital to ensuring food sovereignty, and a sustainable food system for all. The more farmers there are, the more people can be served, and both will grow stronger together. To change the disconnected system, we need to connect, and support the local producers with initiatives that ensure equity and sustainability in our food system. We need to connect our food to the people and the land that cultivate it, understanding the food system, and building community resources to help connect local producers and consumers, so that farmers can focus on farming. For me, my community and city, and those around the world, a just farmland future looks like many vibrant small communities sharing resources, accessible local goods and produce, fair pay, and improving environmental biodiversity.
Here is Tristan’s winning essay:
Farming is constantly evolving, and now more than ever, we need to embrace change. One thing I’ve learned about farmers is that most dislike change! However, with the world constantly changing, it’s essential for us as farmers to adapt and play our part in keeping the world running smoothly. I believe that we should seek guidance from the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island for sustainable farming practices.
In this essay, I will discuss what a just farmland future looks like for myself, my community, and the world at large. I see the world as a garden, and if we let it become overgrown and polluted by weeds, it becomes much harder to restore. At our farm, we prioritize environmental conservation and sustainability. Despite being frowned upon by others we refrain from clearing bushes or draining wetlands. Additionally, we have planted diverse species of trees to create shelterbelts along the borders of many of our fields. One important thing we do that I believe will become more common practice in the future is planting saline low grounds to grass. So many farmers every year will cultivate and spray the weeds that grow there and put thousands of dollars worth of seed, chemicals, and fertilizer in these areas to try and get a crop. Every year I’ve noticed it always seems to be amusingly unsuccessful as the weeds that are accustomed to those conditions quickly dominate and take over.
I am of the opinion that in order to coexist harmoniously with animals and nature, we should integrate natural habitats into our farmland. For instance, dedicating a minimum of 10 acres of natural habitat for every 160 acres of cropland could be a feasible starting point. If the government provided grants to support this initiative, it would offer a compelling incentive for farmers to embrace this change.
In our community, an equitable agricultural future would resemble my own vision. I believe that farmers should seek the guidance of our Indigenous communities, who possess extensive knowledge in maintaining a harmonious relationship between crops and nature on our land. Although times have evolved, their wealth of experience holds valuable insights that could greatly benefit our agricultural future. Promoting the sale of local food could have a positive impact on our community by retaining profits within our local economy. For instance, we could sell our wheat and rye to locally-owned Canadian grocery store chains to produce the bread we purchase. While it’s true that co-op grocery stores already sell bread made from Western Canadian ingredients, we should aim to locally source all of our grain and animal products.
If we consider the community to encompass all of Canada, I propose that we aim to source more of our produce from within our own country. Why should we support the United States by purchasing their produce when we can support our own nation instead? Let’s be realistic – their fruit is often not as fresh and high-quality by the time it reaches us. Due to our climate, we have to import a lot of our fruit varieties from other parts of the world. A just and sustainable future in global agriculture is a pressing necessity that requires collective efforts from all nations.
One of the fundamental strategies to achieve this is to eliminate conflicts between countries, as wars severely hinder the ability of war-beaten countries to secure food for their populations. Low agricultural productivity can lead to economic hardship and exacerbate poverty in these regions. Additionally, it is essential to ensure that agricultural workers are compensated fairly for their labor, as many are putting in long hours to support their families and keep food on the table. It is these farmers who are responsible for feeding approximately 50% of the world’s population while operating on small, low-income farms. Furthermore, when engaged in international trade, these countries lack sufficient bargaining power, leaving them in a precarious economic position.
The projected increase in global population reaching an estimated 10 billion by 2050 poses a significant challenge for food production. Currently, our solution to this challenge has been the destruction of natural habitats to create more farmland, which ultimately creates a larger problem as we tear apart our planet. An effective approach to increasing food production would involve significantly reducing food waste. For instance, the United States alone wastes approximately 130 billion meals annually, which is beyond unacceptable. By significantly lowering or terminating food waste, we could provide vital support to the 44% of the global population living in poverty and hunger, while also preparing for future population growth.
The discussion surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) presents another avenue for enhancing agricultural yields. Genetically modified crops can increase yield with the same level of nutrients and water, potentially allowing for more efficient use of resources. This approach could align with environmental sustainability initiatives as we face growing concerns regarding our planet’s health. Ultimately, a combination of strategies aimed at improving agricultural practices will be essential for fostering a more equitable and sustainable future in farming worldwide.In conclusion, a just future for farming largely depends on environmentally friendly and sustainable practices, alongside addressing poverty and conflicts globally. It is not something that happens overnight, but what every individual works on over years of improvement.
As our awareness of the changing world grows, the urgency to confront these pressing issues increases. While perspectives on a just future for farming vary widely, they all share a common foundation that unites us in the pursuit of equity and sustainability.