Our common conception of agriculture in the south is a field sowed with crops, harvested annually by a farmer and sold as a commodity. In the North however, this concept is not viable; one look at the undulating hills and rocky outcrops of bedrock makes that clear. But the Food Security Research Network (FSRN) have created an internal market for Northerners to collect and sell forest plants from nearby. This past summer they had focused on collecting wild blueberries and were able to re-invest over $38,000 back into the Aroland First Nations community, whilst providing environmental education and seasonal employment for residents. Agriculture does not necessarily encompass traditional visions of tractors plowing vast, flat fields. In the north, shorter growing seasons and the threat of frost 9 months of the year raise the stakes for famers, but that does not mean that agriculture isn’t present. On the contrary, recent data collected by the FSRN, the Thunder Bay Federation of Agriculture and the Northern Ontario Development Network point to Thunder Bay’s undiscovered potential for growth in the agricultural sector. Thunder Bay is actually reversing the trend of reduced farming in Canada: the study found that agricultural activity in the area a total of $140million in agri-related sales. The cause of this has been more young families taking up farming, mostly because of the high return on investment. For every $1 spent on the farm, $1.50 is made in linked sales. Additionally, one farm job has created up to 2 other jobs in the greater economy. From this research, it is apparent that there is a clear future for farmers in the north.

It appears as if this is only the beginning, as Northern communities are relying more and more on local produce as an respite from the under ripe, expensive food flown in from the south. It only makes sense for this agricultural activity to extend to the vast woodlands of the Boreal forest that surround Thunder Bay. “Non timber forest product” (NTFP) is forestry jargon for the mushrooms, wild herbs, berries and other fruits that grow naturally in forests. Current research is looking at market viability of NTFPs in nearby lands. The beneficial aspect of this type of agriculture is that it requires intact, healthy forests to exist, so an ethos of conservation is implicit in its development. Furthermore, community-based forest agriculture draws on the traditional ecological knowledge of native elders, keeping indigenous culture intact and reinvesting in the socio-ecological system. Developing a viable market for the sale of NTFPs also enhances food security and access rights for First Nations, proving that a subsistence economy based on collecting forest plants can merge successfully with the more industrial economy surrounding.

So why are more young people in the North taking up farming? In southern Ontario we are having such a difficult time attracting farmers that organizations such as FarmOn have developed financial incentives for people to take up farming. It seems to me that people in the North care more about where their food is coming from, and that wild produce from local markets are a matter of course; eating moose meat your father hunted for dinner is not strange at all in the North. Neighbours come by and share the tomatoes grown in their garden, only to be thanked with an elk steak from a recent trip to the bush (at most a 30 minute drive from anywhere in Thunder Bay). The ethic of food sharing and community is unlike anything seen in Southern Ontario: we could really learn from the way Northern Ontarians live.