Saskatchewan First Nations own a lot of agricultural land, but the vast majority is rented to non-Indigenous farmers.
A two day forum at Wanuskewin Heritage Park is looking at ways to get more First Nations actively involved in farming.
The event is the first of its kind to engage both the agricultural and broader research community. One of the conference organizers is Melissa Arcand, an assistant professor in the Department of Soil Science in the College of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan. She was raised on a grain farm on the Muskeg Lake Cree First Nation, located about an hour north of Saskatoon.
“We want to get a better idea of what people are currently interested in. Then we want to identify some gaps of knowledge and gaps of information, so we can starting thinking about how do we move forward and fill those gaps.”
There are fewer First Nations farmers and many are growing older. There is very little current data available, but Arcand estimates that up to 95 percent of land is rented to other farmers. She is planning to conduct an extensive survey of First Nations next year.
“There is a huge increase in the land holdings that many communities have because of Treaty Land Entitlement purchases as well as Specific Land Claims,” says Arcand.
The Cowessess First Nation, located about 90 minutes east of Regina, owns over 70,000 acres of agricultural land. Chief Cadmus Delorme says they will ”put their feet in the water” and seed a modest 2,000 acres next spring.
There is a ten year expansion plan, which could see that area increase as much as 20,000 to 40,000 acres. Chief Delorme sees Hutterite colonies as a model.
“I absolutely love their governance structure, their inclusion and communal involvement. That’s the model that we are bringing to Cowessess First Nation.”
The business plan has been developed by the accounting firm Meyer Norris Penny. Once they are off the ground and running, Chief Delorme hopes it can serve as a model for other First Nations.