Food Justice Camp
Individuals from across Canada spend three days in communities throughout Manitoba learning about the food we eat. Individuals were send to one of five food producing communities to address justice issues surrounding the food we eat. The group was part of the Food Justice Camp initiated by the Anglican Church of Canada.
Forty individuals gathered in Winnipeg to discuss food issues. The goal of Food Justice Camp (FJC) was to help integrate faith into everyday life and explore the role faith has in today’s social issues.
Food Justice Camp was a joint initiative started by the Anglican Church of Canada with the help from the United Church, Mennonite Central Committee and the Canadian Food Grains Bank. The camp was an outreach program aimed particularly at young people, but brought together people from 18 to 88 years of age.
The camp was also offered as an accredited course through the University of Winnipeg’s faculty of theology and through the Canadian Mennonite University. Approximately 12 students participated in the camp as a credit course.
Week for Justice
The camp was a week long in mid-August 2005. On Monday all 40 individuals gathered in Winnipeg at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church. During this day the group framed the issues of food justice. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were spent at one of the five immersion sites. The group then gathered again in Winnipeg, where for the next two days they share their experiences from the immersion sites. Using what they had learn the group worked toward finding common ground, and direction in their own lives. Sunday was a day of prayers and worship.
Immersion Sites
Food Justice Camp took individuals to one of five immersion site in community across Manitoba. The village of Clearwater offered eight participants a view of mixed family farms on the prairies.
Riverton and Matheson Island offered another group of students a view of Lake Winnipeg fisheries and the state of the lake’s health. This group spent time on the lake in a commercial fishing boat using the nets to catch pickerel for the evening’s meal.
Another eight participants visited Portage la Prairie, where they looked at large scale farming; touring intensive operations, a Hutterite colony, Simplot plant and the Food Development Center.
A fourth group stayed in the inner city of Winnipeg. This group visited some of the cities soup kitchens, food warehouses, local grocery stores and a local food cooperative.
The last group spent the field day at the Weins Family Shared Farm, a market garden in St. Adolph. The farm is cooperatively run by Dan Wiens, education coordinator for the Food Grains Bank.
Bringing the Issues to the Farm
Jan McIntyre became involved with the program because she is passionate in working to bridge the gap between the urban and rural. Jan believes we can accomplish this by creating spaces where people from various backgrounds can meet and learn from one another, places where urban and rural livelihoods are appreciated. Jan had suggested to one of the organizers, a good friend of hers, that the group come to her small town of Clearwater.
On the Farm-The Clearwater Experience
Day One
On Tuesday the group toured several farms including a Holistic Management ranch and a more intensive cattle operation. The group also picked vegetable in a household garden. That evening they prepared supper using beef from the two ranches and the vegetables they had picked. It was hoped that the group would see the connection between the food they ate and the land from which it comes. “We literally took whatever was available in the garden that day and made a meal out of it.” (Jan McIntyre)
In the evening a panel of three young farming couples discussed the hope in farming. The couples had very diverse approaches to farming, one couple both hold degrees in agriculture. The second family took a very natural approach to farming and the third family has a more intensive livestock operation. Members from the community were invited to attend the panel discussion.
Day Two
Mornings in Clearwater were spent on the farm with billets. It was requested that billets be actively farming so that the participants of the camp would gain a better understanding of what it means to farm in Manitoba. The students helped with chores mending fences, and moving cattle.
On Wednesday afternoon the group visited the McIntyre’s mixed grain and sheep farm. The group then ventured to a neighboring organic farm.
The evening was intended to be a campfire cookout at Rock Lake but rain force the group to barbeque in town. Community members joined the group latter for a musical evening.
Day Three
Once again the morning was spent on the farm helping with chores. The group then gathered in town for lunch and conversation with the Clearwater Senate. The Senate is a group of local women who meet once a week at the town restaurant to discuss community events and the issues. The Senate is a huge source of support for families and community projects. Women of the Senate shared the stories of their live in Clearwater and gave the group the perspectives of elders. Then it was on to a chicken farm in Manitou, and a tour of the wind turbines in St. Leon.
The field days concluded with supper at the Sperling Gallery, where the group shared their own experiences, thoughts and feelings about the past three day. Laura Rance from the Farmers Independent Weekly joined the group for supper providing additional insight into agriculture and from a faith perspective. It was then back to Winnipeg to rejoin the larger group.
Sharing Knowledge and Experiences
The Food Justice Camp took place at the end of August to accommodate the schedule of students wishing to partake in the camp as a credited course. However this time was also harvest season on most farms. Don McIntyre was in the midst of a bad harvest when the 8 students were scheduled to stop in for a farm tour. Don was extremely discouraged; a wet summer had taken a toll on the peas, barley, and oat yields.
Though it was likely the last thing Don wanted to do that day, he took the students on a tour of his land. Jan McIntyre noticed that as her husband spent more time with the students and saw their interest in his work, a smile grew on his face. “We have video of the day and when you look back at it you can just see in his face his spirits rise as they showed interest.” (Jan McIntyre)
Both students of the camp and billets at the immersion sites learnt a great deal from one another “I think it is important for people to realize that you may host somebody and you may have them come to your community but if you take the time to get know them you learn from them too, and I think that is phenomenal.” (Jan McIntyre)
Funding
The camp was co-funded by the Anglican Church of Canada, United Church of Canada, Mennonite Central Committee and the Canadian Food Grains Bank. Students paid a $300.00 fee, and cost was slightly higher for those taking the course through the University of Winnipeg or CMU. The fees covered meals, lodging in Winnipeg and transportation to and from the immersion sites. Funding was available for those to whom cost was a factor.
Reaching Out
From the success of the camp the organising group has decided to compile a DVD of a collection of photos, and video clips from the immersion sites. The DVD will correspond to the themes in the workbook developed for the camp. Workbooks and DVDs will be available to groups interested in studying food justice issues from a faith perspective.
A local independent film company is working with the group on the video. Dada World Data films in Winnipeg has work with other members of the Clearwater community.
Making Change
Participants have reported that after camp they began to make changes in their everyday lives, by thinking about the food they eat and where they shop. Some have decided to grow more of their own food. Most changes are personal which do not always seem significant to one person but combined they make a huge difference, with a ripple effect on friends and family.
Harvest Moon Learning Center
Robert and Celia Guilford operate an organic beef and grain farm near the town of Clearwater, Manitoba. Robert and Celia began the transition to organics in 1987 and by 1992 they were completely organic. Sustainable systems have been an important part of the Guilford farm, and the family has wanted to share this knowledge with others. For many years the Guildford have dreamt of offering courses on sustainable agriculture in and around their community.
The Transition to Organics
Celia Guilford spent 2 months in California to partake in a permaculture certification courses, at that time the only permaculture course offered in North America. When Celia returned she and Robert saw the opportunity to make a similar course available in Canada. They approached a community college in Winnipeg with the idea of co-hosting the course, but unfortunately no one at the school had time to commit to the course.
A few years latter a WWOOFer (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) working on the farm introduced Robert and Celia to Stéphane McLachlan, a professor at the University of Manitoba. Stéphane had been doing a lot of work with indigenous groups, but had also begun working with agricultural producers, he quickly took an interest in the idea of hosting a rural course through the University.
Rural and Urban
In addition to the organic farm both Celia and Robert have off farm jobs, so the family knew they had to bring more people on side in order for their dream to become reality. So with land owners, farmers, and university student from Winnipeg Celia, Robert and Stéphane, formed the Harvest Moon Society. The society is dedicated to sustainable agriculture and environmental education. The link that has been formed between rural and urban people has become an important part of the Societies mandate; the group works to bridge consumers and producers, and to make urban residents aware of where their food comes from, and farming practices.
“Your life keeps on going, it’s very much a spare time process kind of thing. Spare time is very rare these days, to say the least.”
A Center for Sustainable Education
Celia worried about hosting a few dozen strangers on the farm for a course, so in 2001 when the opportunity of buying the town’s former elementary school came about, the Society consider the idea of moving into the school. The Harvest Moon Society put in a 1 dollar bid alongside one other bid for $10, 0000. The plan was to develop the school into a center for sustainability. After a long three year bidding and review process, the school division granted the building to the Harvest Moon Society.
In a small town like Clearwater it did not take long for word to travel about the Guilford’s plans for the school. The Harvest Moon Society held 4 town hall meeting to inform the community more about their plans and to get feedback from the community. The community was extremely supportive of the Guilford’s plans, which would keep the school an active and vibrant place in the community.
The town of Clearwater is small but full of activity, volunteer time is in high demand and spare time is rare. Between the two rinks, sports club, two churches, cooperatively run restaurant, Community Hall, agricultural museum (to name a few) the community is kept very busy. When a new project develops in town it isn’t always easy to find people able to commit a lot of their time, thus outside involvement form Winnipeggers has certainly contributed to the development of the HMS and the learning center. The community has helped whenever possible.
“It’s sort of like we have a credit for a couple days of the year. Everybody will come and help you, whatever you are doing, whether it’s the curling rink or the school or the hall.”
Education
To date the Harvest Moon Society has hosted an organic farm mentorship program, two University of Manitoba accredited courses, and organic crop and livestock farm inspector certification courses through the Assiniboine Community College. In cooperation with a Winnipeg based Ecumenical coalition and University of Winnipeg the Harvest Moon Society hosted a component of the Manitoba Food Justice Camp. In collaboration with the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada the Society has hosted Organic Crop Production Workshops.
The organic mentorship program was the first course offered through the society and was run on the Guilford’s farm. There was no affiliation to an established university or college. A little funding was found through the Sustainable Development Innovations Fund (SDIF) but for the most part this course was pulled together with whatever resources were on the farm. Subsequent courses have been affiliated with other education institutes, and thus there has been a source of funding aside from the society.
Economic Sustainability
Economic sustainability in rural Manitoba is one of the principles of the Society. HMS is working to install an oil press in the school; the oils will be marketed along with other products under a Harvest Moon label. Plans are developing to construct a commercial kitchen in one of the old classrooms. The kitchen will be a place to develop value-added products for sale locally and to the wider Manitoba Community. The Center will also be a place for local producers to market their meats, and grains.
For Robert the project has given a sense of hope in revitalizing rural communities, and has created a sense excitement in communities. As a center for economic activity it is hoped that young people will see the potential of their rural communities, and that the Center will draw new people to the rural landscape. “The way I see it its not a big business thing, the way small towns are going to survive is a small business.” (Robert Guilford)
Tourism
The Harvest Moon Center will be developed into a place for tourism. The HMS envisions a place where people can stop in to buy local goods, help out in the garden, have a cup of coffee and read about a related topic in the library.
A Space for All
The Harvest Moon center has become a space where people can further develop their skills and share these skills with others. The HMS center is a collective learning space. Stéphane describes the Center as a mosaic of people with a diversity of skills and experiences. There is no central position for the Center, rather it is a place for all people with an interest in rural communities and environments. The Harvest Moon Learning Center is a place for people to plug into and share their skills.
Unfortunately this diverse approach of the society has led to difficulty in securing funding for the society. Communicating their vision to funding groups has been difficult as there are many goals and themes to the society.
“The center is open to all these ideas and open to change and allowed to evolve and become different thing to different people.” Stéphane McLachlan
Community Place
The Harvest Moon Center is also home to the community nursery school, 4H club, and a young mothers group. The groups help with some of the maintenance of the center. A small rent is paid by the nursery school, and the group also covers the expense for building inspections for fire regulations.
How To
To date all work has been volunteer and funding has come from government and other funding programs. The Society hopes to see the Center become self-sustaining in the near future. Sources of income will be found through the direct marketing of farm products, the Harvest Moon Festival and the courses and workshops offered at the center. It is hoped that the Society will be able to hire staff to improve and increase the day to day activities and planning at the center.
Contact
Robert and Celia Guilford
organic@mts.net
On Farm Education
After spending time in the local schools as parents and as a teacher David Neufeld and Maggie Anders realized that they could offer a hands-on education for schools on their farm Room to Grow. They knew that for many children a practical experience such as this would be a more effective way of learning then what could be talked about for an hour in the four wall of a classroom. So Maggie and David approached teachers they knew and suggested that they bring their classes to the family farm where things that were spoken about in class could be brought to life.
At Room to Grow students learn about sustainability, solar power, community, writing and expression, ecology, soil, and much more in a place where these things were really happing. Teachers returned year after year with their class. It was evident that the material and activities already available on the farm fit perfectly with the curriculum. And with the flexibility in curriculum David and Maggie were able to developed more programs for the school.
Learning Locally
Maggie and David strongly believe that through experiential and integrated learning not only do children learn quicker but they also gain an appreciation for the community and environment in which they live. David and Maggie worry about the move schools are taking towards a standardized learning curriculum, which does not take into consideration local variation and skills required to live in rural Manitoba. They worry that schools are sending the message that what is happening locally is not important. David and Maggie want children to know about their own backyard and to learning skills that they can use to live in rural Manitoba such as trapping, hunting, gardening, mechanics, building, designing machines, child care which make a community thrive.
The Outdoor Classroom
Grade three classes have come to Room to Grow to learn about soil, David took them into the greenhouse and to his compost pile where the children smelt, touched and saw soil. The children were able to experience the differences between sand, soil and compost through their 5 senses.
Other programs have included nature walks through their wooded farms with grade 4 students. The class did some birding, looked at a beaver dam, talked about how it was built, and experienced the ecology was on the farm that day.
Maggie brought her grade 5 and 6 class to the farm for a field day in June, the class camped out under the trees, they played with squirt guns and they played in the grass. David led a campfire sing along in the evening. All the while the students were learning about community building, a topic in the Manitoba curriculum. The experience offered writing opportunity for the students in their language arts class when they returned to the classroom. Writing became easy for the students when they were expressing their thoughts and feelings from this real life experience.
“You have never see ten, eleven and twelve year olds have so much fun in three feet of grass that was the entertainment of the evening was hide and seek in the grass” ~Maggie Andres.
A grade 12 biology class came to the greenhouse, David and Maggie gave the students a quiz, asked them what their hypothesis was for why the plants were not thriving. The students looked at the leaves, looked to find bugs and to look at the soil. The children applied their knowledge of biology to a real life experience, something that David and Maggie do in their greenhouse business everyday. The students were able to come up with ideas on how to save the ailing plants
Growing Experiences
At first the programs were offered to classes that Maggie and David had been involved with, when they had a very positive response they made this opportunity available to more students. David wrote a promotional leaflet for the programs and sent it to all the teachers they had identified as having classes with an interested in the topics available at the farm. David was able to get the names and addresses from the school board, and sent the leaflets to these teachers. The response to this promotion was great, they had 10 schools come out that summer, both children and teachers loved the experience.
With so many schools coming to the farm it began to take more time to prepare for the each school, so David and Maggie began to ask a small fee from the schools from further away. They kept the cost low, asking only 1 or 2 dollars per student with a minimum of 20 dollars. School from across southwestern Manitoba came to Room to Grow, schools have come from as far away as Cartwright and Pierson. Often schools would make Room to Grow one stop during a field day, also visiting local sites such as the International Peace Gardens, Turtle Mountain Park, and the town of Boissevain.
Barriers
The time and amount of work it takes teachers to organise field trip is a problem David and Maggie have experience. School buses cost money and organising parent chaperones is often a lot more work then many teachers have time for.
How To
Originally the on-farm programs were offered to a few classes from the local school Maggie and David were in contact with. But the program was expended to more students. David wrote a promotional leaflet, and advertised on the farm’s website. Because of the growing request for the programs a small fee was charged of 2 dollars per student, with a minimum of 20 dollars per program.
Contact Maggie or David at Room to Grow
Phone: (204) 534-2303
www.roomtogrow.info
roomtogrow@mts.net
Box 478, Boissevain Manitoba
R0K 0E0