Curated By:
Natasha van Bentum
Lauren Baker
Leticia Ama Deawuo
HELP BUILD BETTER FOOD SYSTEMS FOR OUR PLANET, OUR PEOPLE, AND A NEW GENERATION OF FARMERS.
Farmers are at the foundation of a resilient, diverse food system — from where food is grown, to how it is distributed. Today there is a groundswell of young people committed to sustainability and local food production. Through access to land, and by growing food using ecological methods, food production can regenerate air, water, soil and biodiversity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and conserve healthy forests, wetlands and waterways.
Yet, securing access to land is a major barrier to new farmers. In the next few years, half of Canada’s farmers will retire. The majority have no succession plan in place and their farms are at risk of falling into the hands of agribusiness or developers for other uses, threatening both our food security and our environment.
CREATE MORE EQUITABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
Poverty, racism, and other forms of oppression create barriers that prevent equitable access to food and restrict participation in the food system. Much of Canada’s food is grown by Black and racialized people, and Indigenous and Black households are more likely to be food-insecure than similar white households. Yet when it comes to creating food policy, these groups are rarely at the decision-making table. These issues demand systemic solutions, starting with access to land, linking farmers and eaters, and supporting community food programs.
We must start seeing hunger, farming practices and land access, government policy, and racial justice as interconnected pieces of a broken system. By supporting leaders and initiatives making change on the ground — farming, organizing, building community — we’ll see a growing movement for food justice.
—Ama, Natasha, and Lauren, co-curators
JOIN THE MOVEMENT: A RESILIENT FUTURE OF FOOD
Help ensure everyone has access to healthy, culturally appropriate food. Support strong Indigenous foodways — the intersection of food in culture, traditions, and history — and local food systems. Plus, assist in rebuilding community food security, and fostering greater participation. Public awareness is growing about the importance of land, seeds, ecology, and culture as central to resilient and healthy communities but more work is needed.
In communities across Canada, young farmers are transforming the way food is grown and distributed. Land and food justice advocates, particularly Indigenous, Black and other communities of colour are organizing around food justice and food sovereignty, advocating for the Right to Food. Your gift will advance this work.
ABOUT the Land and Food Justice Fund
Support the leading organizations that are improving access to land and promoting ecological food systems. The Land and Food Justice Fund includes more than 40 charities from across Canada that are substantially focused on land access, ecological food systems, and food justice.
The charities in this fund are connecting organizations, farmers, and community leaders across Canada to build resilient, equitable food systems. Organizations in this fund support access to healthy and culturally appropriate food, while preserving the ecological and cultural heritage of the land, enhancing health and well-being, and stimulating the local economy. They are working towards food sovereignty and food justice in Canada and addressing the underlying structural issues that lead to land and food insecurity.
The list of charities was curated by issue experts working in the areas of land access and food justice. To see the current list of charities included in this Fund, click here.
See Who Contributed to this cause
Stuart S donated $10!
Lindsay G donated $150!
Someone donated $500 anonymously!
Someone donated $50 anonymously!
Someone donated $50 anonymously!
Luc B donated $20!
Someone donated $500 anonymously!
Someone donated $50 anonymously!
Alison U donated $150!
Someone donated $200 anonymously!