Seeding agroecology through new farmer training in Canada: knowledge, practice, and relational identities

ABSTRACT

As a concept, agroecology emphasises the interweaving of scientific and traditional ecological knowledge and is evolving in conjunction with farmer-led social movements from around the world addressing the health, equity and ecological sustainability of food systems. In Canada, many new agroecological farmers come from non-farming backgrounds and are finding limited training opportunities and support structures. While there is a growing literature on the evolution of agroecology, there is limited research on the existence and impact of training programmes on the subject-formation of new farmers. In this paper, we consider the subject-formation of new agroecological farmers through a case study of the Everdale Community Learning Centre, one of Canada’s only agroecological farm schools. In particular, we explore how the knowledge, practice, and relational identities of participating graduates are informed by and build on the science, practice, and movement of agroecology. Drawing on a survey and interviews with past participants, we found that Everdale’s education programme contributes to an agroecological subject-formation by promoting the co-creation of place-based agricultural knowledge; teaching the complexities of agroecology practice through both experiential and theoretical training; and, building a supportive community of peers. We conclude with reflections on ways to encourage a greater diversity of new farmer entrants and opportunities to support training programme graduates in establishing successful farms. These findings provide insight into developing new agroecological farmers and supporting the growing agroecological movement in Canada.

KEYWORDS:

• Agroecology
• Canada
• new farmers
• farmer training
• farmer knowledge
• food movement

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Gavin Dandy, Lauren Baker and David Alexander for their support on the research for this paper as well as the participants that shared their experiences. This project was funded through the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Julia M. L. Laforge http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7563-5153

Charles Z. Levkoe http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4950-2186

Notes

1 In Canada, the use of the term agroecology is less common than the concept of ecological farming which tends to include a range of philosophical and practical applications of technical and experiential knowledge that include biodynamics, certified and non-certified organics, holistic management, natural, permaculture, etc.

2 The Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) is an informal network that offers internships, ecological farm training and visits to other farms within its network.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.