Donors like you are helping to grow the next generation of farmers in Canada!

Help revitalize Canada’s food system. Now more than ever, we need new and young people learning how to grow ecological food. With people 35 and younger making up less than 9% (fewer than 23,000 farmers) of Canada’s farmers (less than 1.3% of the population), new farmers need your support.

Your gift will help Young Agrarians grow the next generation of farmers through educational programs. We work year round to provide farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange and training opportunities through community building educational and networking events, business mentorships, land access supports, and on-farm apprenticeships in regenerative agriculture.

In 2022, YA worked with approximately 2000 farmers representing 1600 farms, to access education, land, mentorship, training, business support, and community networks. YA collaborated with over 260 food and farm organizations, matched 1200 acres of land, connected with over 630 landholders, coordinated 60 events with 2400 attendees, and posted 200 jobs and apprenticeships online. We are working to increase local food resilience across Western Canada, to grow a new generation of ecological farmers.

Your Gift Supports Farmers Like Jason & Krystyna, Thanu, and Karel

Jason & Krystyna, Seed of Life Farm, Surrey, BC. Jason & Krystyna received support through the B.C. Land Matching Program:

“Young Agrarians acts like mycelium does with fungi, helping link us to one another, creating a thriving community of farmers. Young Agrarians is our voice when it comes to bringing awareness about farming to the world.

Being first generation farmers, access to land and agricultural resources were great challenges for us. Young Agrarians is an essential organization that offered support at many different steps of our farming journey. Young Agrarians helped us find land suited to our needs, and followed and supported our land leasing transition. Over the course of several years, Young Agrarians workshops and meetings have helped shape us into the farmers we are today.

We find farming to be the perfect way to care  for people and the Earth. Farming is a way to fight for social justice, to work towards ecosystem health, and to share nutrient dense food with our fellow humans. We use ecological and regenerative methods, and are slowly integrating reduced tilling systems into the farm.”

Secure Donation Form

(This Canada Helps form may take a few seconds to load. If you are having technical issues, or if you would like to donate securities, please donate on our CanadaHelps profile at canadahelps.org/en/charities/agrariansfoundation. Thank you!)

Thanu Eagalle, Wildbee Florals, Comox, BC. Thanu received support through the B.C. Land Matching Program:

“Young Agrarians exists to ensure new and young farmers have access to land and are able to thrive, which is such a valuable resource at a time when Canada needs to focus on local agriculture in the face of climate change. Having someone to support and connect you to larger networks of producers, knowledge sharers and other resources is key to creating vibrant agricultural communities.”

“I signed up for the B.C. Land Matching Program because the price of farmland was prohibitively expensive, so I needed to start off by sharing land. I also wanted to ensure that all of my efforts in soil rebuilding were protected. Creating a strong lease agreement with educational support from the Land Matcher helped put my worries to rest.”

“Having a farm that is directly impacted by the devastating effects of climate change is going to be a huge challenge for all farmers. Young Agrarians is supporting ecological farms that not only reduce emissions, but will also help communities be more resilient to the challenges of tomorrow.”

Karel Beijer, Apprenticeship Program alumnus, apprenticed at Redtail Farms in Castor, Alberta:

“As a new farmer, I knew it would be difficult to start my own farm. I wanted to learn to raise cattle regeneratively, and conventional farming programs didn’t appeal to me. The Young Agrarians Apprenticeship Program was a great fit for accessing that knowledge and support from my mentors. Now I know how to build a farm that is more resilient in the face of climate change by diversifying with annuals, perennials, and trees, and how to capture and store water to support life in dryer times. I feel confident being able to raise the animals and take on the production side of farming, and I have an incredible support network of mentors and peers that I can reach out to anytime.”

 

 

Donating Via Cheque

If you would like to give to Young Agrarians by cheque, please make it out to “Young Agrarians” and mail to: Agrarians Foundation, 2214 Sun Valley Drive, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6E8, Canada.

Tax Receipts

Agrarians Foundation, a federally registered Canadian Charity, is Young Agrarians’ organizational home. Please donate. You will receive a charitable receipt by email. Much LOVE to all of our donors, funders, supporters, friends and farm lovers! For questions about becoming a Young Agrarians donor, please email Sara at  farm@youngagrarians.org.

*Farmer statistics in first paragraph from Statistics Canada 2016.