Building More Inclusive Agricultural Futures Through Networks of Care

University of Guelph graduate student Francis Jabile is planting the seeds for a more equitable and compassionate agricultural system, one that affirms and supports queer and racially marginalized farmers in Ontario and beyond. 

The Capacity Development and Extension student is preparing to defend his thesis in July exploring how equity-deserving farmers—those who self-identify as queer and racially marginalized—build and rely on networks of care to sustain themselves, their communities and their farms. 

“Care is more than just a feeling,” says Jabile. “It’s a responsibility, an action and a way of being. These farmers are creating systems of mutual support in a world that hasn’t always welcomed them.” 

Through a series of in-depth interviews with queer and racialized farmers in Ontario, Jabile is uncovering the ways these individuals conceptualize and practice care, both for one another and for the land they steward. His research draws on feminist and queer theory to frame care as an ecological and social practice that enables farmers to thrive.