New partnership will boost the sharing of Indigenous agricultural knowledge

Officials with a national Indigenous-led food organization are thrilled with their latest partnership.

It was announced on May 6 that the National Circle for Indigenous Agriculture and Food (NCIAF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Canadian Food Focus (CFF).

The agreement will increase Indigenous agricultural knowledge, boost educational outreach across the country and also promote food system awareness.

The NCIAF was launched in January 2024. The non-profit organization is committed to furthering reconciliation within the agriculture industry while also promoting conversations nationally about Indigenous agriculture.

Chris McKee, the NCIAF’s senior vice-president of business development, is pleased with the agreement with CFF, which works to improve the food literacy of Canadian consumers.

“It’s exciting,” McKee said. “It’s super exciting. Whenever the pen actually gets to the paper, that’s when the real excitement happens because there are always tons of conversations that can happen. But when the rubber hits the road, that’s when the real excitement happens.”

McKee said representatives from the NCIAF and CFF have been discussing a partnership since late last year.

“We’ve been back and forth at different events, probably for six, seven months,” he said.

Under the MOU, the two national organizations will join forces for various initiatives.

This includes storytelling and content creation. Various articles, videos and podcasts will be showcased on the organizations’ websites and social media platforms that will showcase Indigenous food knowledge, practices and community stories.

“I think the biggest thing with this partnership is that there will be more exposure for all the Indigenous ag and food that is out there,” McKee said. “There will be more of a platform and more of an audience to get that message out there.”

McKee anticipates content will start being shared within the next couple of months.

“With the signing of this (MOU), there were already conversations that were happening on what we could do and what could transpire from the partnership and the collaboration,” he said. “We’ve got some videos that are already produced and so do they. And it will be a matter of sharing both ways, getting those out there as they exist and then working on what those future ones will look like.”

Kallie Wood, NCIAF’s president and CEO, is also pleased with the signing of the MOU.

“Through this partnership, we are ensuring Indigenous voices are recognized and respected in national conversations about agriculture and food,” she said. “This collaboration with Canadian Food Focus allows us to highlight the rich food traditions and agricultural practices of Indigenous communities across the country.”

Dorothy Long, CFF’s managing director, speaks highly of the partnership.

“We are excited to work with NCIAF to share and advance Indigenous voices and to engage consumers with stories of Indigenous peoples’ deep understanding of food harvesting, farming, hunting and fishing practices,” she said.  

Besides content creation, other initiatives that will be jointly worked on include education and outreach, community engagement and capacity building.

Various materials and campaigns will be developed to further the understanding of Indigenous food systems and agricultural traditions.

Community engagements will see the joint support of workshops and events, which will connect both Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences.

And through capacity building, there will be mentorship and leadership opportunities for Indigenous youth and adults in agricultural areas.

Reps from the NCIAF and CFF will have regular meetings to gauge how the partnership is progressing. The MOU will remain in effect until April 2028.

“We typically set them up for three, five years just to make sure that everyone is getting what they can out of the agreement and making sure the outcomes are beneficial,” McKee said of the deal.

McKee also said the NCIAF has several other partnerships, but the one with CFF is appealing in part because it is also a national organization.

“With their focus being on highlighting the rich food and agricultural practices, I think that’s the piece that was different in signing this one,” he said. “That is their main focus. Other ones are all different outcomes for all the different partnerships that we are excited to build on.”