Rural Routes to Climate Solutions Rural Routes to Climate Solutions

Our Stories of Regeneration tour concludes at Ottawa's Just Food Community Farm, a 150-acre testament to sustainable, small-scale agriculture, including initiatives like Chi Garden and Urban Fresh Produce. Emphasizing agroecology and land stewardship, the farm champions local food sovereignty and transforms newcomers into farmers through its Start-up Farm Program. In our series finale, participants Chadwick Lewis and Sun Shan highlight the farm's impact on sustainable agriculture and community regeneration.

Facing his daughter's health issues, rancher Craig Cameron and his family turned to regenerative farming to grow the healthiest food possible for her. Craig, alongside his father-in-law Peter DenOudsten, shifted their traditional beef farm to a regenerative model. They now grow over 10 types of grass and clover, use less fertilizer, and produce some of the healthiest, most nutritious beef you can find.

Meet Rebecca Harbut and Mike Bomford from Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) in Richmond, BC—prime examples of such trailblazers. Now, you might wonder, how do university professors fit the description of being 'on the ground'? Well, let me tell you, KPU isn't just any university; it boasts a farm that lies at the heart of Rebecca and Mike's endeavors.



Moreover, as we've touched upon throughout this podcast series, with Canada's population nearing the 40 million mark, farm and ranch operators, along with farm laborers, represent a mere fraction—around 1%—of the populace. The takeaway here? It's going to require a collective effort, involving many of us outside the traditional farming community, to partner with that crucial 1%. This collaboration is key to expanding regenerative agriculture from a niche practice to a widespread one.

For this very special French-language episode of the Rural Routes to Climate Solutions podcast, recorded in the late summer of 2023 during the Stories of Regeneration tour, Sara Maranda-Gauvin of Regeneration Canada talked with brothers Vincent and Simon-Pierre Bolduc of La Station: an organic farm and cheese factory in the Eastern Townships of Quebec.

You never know what Mother Nature is going to dish out, whether it is going to be the good, the bad or the ugly, so being able to observe, learn and adapt can be just as handy as mechanical skills.

And now we have educational programs that blend Blackfoot ways of knowing and agriculture.



In this episode of Rural Routes to Climate Solutions, we are taking a look at the Red Crow Community College’s Niitsitapi Agriculture Certificate Program with JR Weasel Fat of Kainai, Alberta.

During the growing season of 2023 as summer turned into fall, the Rural Routes to Climate Solutions podcast and Regeneration Canada were on the final leg of the Stories of Regeneration tour. After covering most of the Prairies and most of central and eastern Canada in the summer, our months-long journey came to an end in Canada’s two most western provinces around harvest time.



This next phase of our journey brought us to Cawston, British Columbia, acclaimed as the Organic Farming Capital of Canada. At Snowy Mountain Farms, managed by Aaron Goddard and his family, you will find a 12-acre farm that boasts over 70 varieties of fruits such as cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, pears, apples, and quince. Aaron employs regenerative agriculture practices to cultivate and sustain living soils, which are essential for producing fruit that is not only delicious but also rich in nutrients.