Government engages First Nations on agricultural opportunities

Today, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau, Manitoba Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson, Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit and Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation Minister RJ Sigurdson announced that their governments have completed a collaborative project that engaged First Nations communities with the goal of furthering Indigenous participation in the agriculture sector.

The released report provides a summary of what was heard through engagement. The report indicates that some First Nations communities in the prairie provinces are interested in growing their food systems through traditional practices as well as increasing their participation within the agriculture sector. The information collected will inform departmental priorities and policies and programs aimed at advancing Indigenous agriculture and food systems.  

The federal government, along with the governments of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, have been working together since May 2021 on a collaborative project to engage with First Nations communities in all three provinces. The project focused on the identification of current practices and the resources, policies, programs and actions required to further advance First Nations food systems and agricultural and agri-processing economic development.