Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug Traditional Garden/Farm Program Connie H. Nelson Joel Symonds Northern Ontario First Nation Environment Conference Old Fort William Historical Park, Thunder Bay October 5 th, 2011

Food Security Research Network (FSRN)  A network of people concerned about food security  Including university faculty and students from 12+ departments and an array of other community members, e.g.:  Local agricultural organizations  Schools and learning programs  First Nation communities  Charitable and social organizations

Vision of FSRN From a culture of engagement that is formed through the interactions of faculty, students, and community around the shared vision of food security, a knowledge commons forms out of which emerges innovative community based solutions to regional food security.

Program Overview  2 year program  Started spring of 2011  Partnership between  Food Security Research Network  Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug  5 trainees  3 x 2-week training sessions in TBay

Objectives  To renew traditional food security in KI  Through both:  cultivated gardens  boreal forest food sources

Strategy  Hand-on experience  Exposure to many gardening techniques

Garden/Farm Project- Planning and Preparation

Garden/Farm Project- Tending and Care

Garden/Farm Project- Harvesting

Garden/Farm Project- Cooking

Garden/Farm Project: The Finale

Next Steps

Thank You  Food Security Research Network  Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug  Northern Training Program of the Ministry of Colleges & Universities  Trainees  Rene Begg  Beverly McKay  Dustin Sainnawap  Diane Petiquan  Matilda Hudson

Sharing Circle  How do you put food on your table?  What are the sources of your food?  Store-bought, traditional boreal forest sources- fish, moose, grouse, blueberries, mushrooms, and cultivated gardens  What do you feel is the relationship between diet and a healthy community?  How would you like to strengthen the food availability in your community?  cultivated gardens, domestic livestock (chickens, sheep, goats), traditional boreal forest sources, more imported store foods