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Greenhorns in Canada

Posted: September 30 2010

We just heard from the National Farmers Union in Canada, who are helping coordinate young farmers up north.  They are also members of La Via Campesina.

Pamphlet: http://www.nfu.ca/convention/2010-pamphlet.pdf
and blog: http://nfuyouth.wordpress.com/

Here's what they have to say on their website about their campaign for new farmers:
The current dominant model of agriculture has pushed out our young people.  This is no mystery to the few young farmers who are left in Canada.  The Campaign for New Farmers is our reaction to an industry that has left us with few options.  It’s about alternatives.  It’s about creating a voice and a vision for farming in the future.  It’s about reclaiming control over our resources and contributing to a food system in a way that makes us proud to be farmers.  It’s about using our creativity, our resources and all the courage we can muster up to revive rural Canada and give hope to the people around us.  The Campaign for New Farmers is a network, a support system, a policy watchdog, and a resource for all those who are out there getting their hands dirty as they offer up alternatives to a world gone mad.
The Campaign for New Farmers was officially launched in Ottawa, Ontario at the NFU Annual Convention in November, 2009.  The idea stemmed from a summer meeting of NFU youth members from across the country who gathered together in Battersea, Ontario to exchange ideas and organize for the future.  The Campaign for New Farmers is a volunteer organization and has limited resources.  If you would like to donate time, expertise or funding to the Campaign for New Farmers, please contact us at [email protected].