NETWORK

Young Agrarians is a farmer2farmer educational resource network for new and young farmers with a lens on ecological, organic and regenerative agriculture in Canada. In 2012, we were excited by what new farmers groups like the The Greenhorns and the National Young Farmers Coalition were doing in the U.S., and we wanted to get something growing for new and young farmers that is about on the ground programs to support farmers to grow! We are inspired by farmers and food provisioners everywhere who are stewarding the land and our food systems for future generations.

The issues today in our food systems are complex; it’s going to take many people and solutions to adapt to climate change and move us into the future of food. And we need to do that fast- implementing best practices for agro-ecological food production that can contend with climate change, sequester carbon, and regenerate resilient ecosystems!

We have a niche role as a community builder, facilitator and service provider in the sector to grow the connectivity of new and young farmers to each other and the lands we are so lucky to steward. We work to build tools and programs to support new growers to regenerate the land and our food systems. Collaborations and communications are key to this work. We are currently Western Canada focused (B.C. to Manitoba), with a grassroots network that stretches from coast-to-coast.

The network of farms and organizations YA works with grows every year: from farmers hosting events, to crowdsourcing data collection for the farmer resource UMAP, to land access programming, farm apprenticeships, and business mentorships. The list of fantastic farmers we work with is extensive. Please check out the Farmer Resource UMAP and Events Blog to learn more about the farms and farmers we work with! Contact us to get involved: community@youngagrarians.org.