Agroecology is a holistic approach to food production that uses—and creates—social, cultural, economic and environmental knowledge to promote food sovereignty, social justice, economic sustainability, and healthy agricultural ecosystems.
Bill C-18, "The Agricultural Growth Act," became law on February 25, 2015 and gives multi-national agri-business much more money, power and control, while increasing farmers’ costs and reducing farmers’ autonomy and Canadian sovereignty.
The National Farmers Union has joined with other citizens’ organizations in the Trade Justice Network to challenge the scope and secret negotiating process of CETA, the Canada-European Union free trade negotiations, and to highlight the need for a more sustainable, equitable and socially just international trade regime.
Climate change is arguably the most crucial issue of our time. Agriculture is directly affected by climate change, but is also a major greenhouse gas emitter globally. We need to change our practices to adapt and reduce our emissions.
NFU action and advocacy has been swift, focussed and effective during the COVID pandemic. In the midst of disruption, the NFU perseveres, in solidarity.
Over the next two years, the National Farmers Union (NFU) is teaming up with award-winning documentary filmmakers of March Forth Creative Inc. to film and present 40 short documentaries featuring individual farm stories from across the provinces.
Land is fundamental to agriculture. Who owns it, controls it, and how is it used and cared for are critical matters for the NFU.
Farmers cannot exist without land to farm. People seeking to access farmland face a long and complex process, made more challenging by rising land prices, rents, and development pressures.
Essential viewing for getting in-depth with the NFU's Farmland Campaign.
Farmland is a precious and limited resource. It makes up less than 10 percent of Canada’s land mass. Since 1976, over 15 million acres of farmland has been lost.
Farmers who work the land should have control over the management of their food production unit. When investment of capital—whether foreign or Canadian—excludes local farmers from the land, rural disintegration occurs, and food sovereignty is impossible.
The National Farmers Union and other family farm/peasant, indigenous and rural workers organizations work within the global movement, La Vía Campesina, to resist the global trade agreements and the WTO, stop the destruction of communities, cultures, and environments, and build an alternative: food sovereignty.
The National Farmers Union calls for a new Seed Act for Farmers in which Canada recognizes the inherent rights of farmers — derived from thousands of years of custom and tradition—to save, reuse, select, exchange, and sell seeds. Current and proposed restrictions on farmers’ traditional practices, whether from commercial contracts, identity preservation (IP) systems, or legislation—criminalize these ancient practices and harm farmers, citizens, and society in general.
Orderly marketing is the cornerstone of NFU policy. It includes control of the product into, through and out of the marketing system to meet immediate market demand; single desk selling; equality of delivery opportunity between producers; pooling of returns and costs among producers; and the elimination of manipulation, speculation and waste.
Farmers across Canada are uniquely impacted by Climate Change. Mitigation of Climate Change requires a national approach, as proposed in (but not limited to) the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act (GGPPA).
Land is fundamental to Indigenous ways of life. However, the Canadian state has systemically dispossessed Indigenous peoples of their land and restricted their ability to freely access land as was promised in Treaties.
UPOV ’91 is the most restrictive form of PBR law. It enhances the rights of seed companies such as Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer, Dow, Viterra, Pioneer, DuPont and Cargill at the expense of farmers.
The NFU is active in protecting aspects of the commons that are essential for agriculture, farming and the continuation of family farming.
A list of existing farmland protection legislation in Canada's provinces.
Join the National Farmers Union and strengthen our campaign for Canada to adopt a truly farmer-friendly seed law that balances the interests of the public, farmers and plant breeders in a manner accepted by the Canadian public.
Because alfalfa is a perennial plant that is pollinated by bees, genetically modified alfalfa will inevitably cross-pollinate with non-GM and organic alfalfa, threatening the livelihoods of family farmers across Canada.
The National Farmers Union strongly supports Canada’s supply management system as an important institution of food sovereignty. Supply management is a unique Canadian institution that helps us avoid wide fluctuations in supply and prices, without requiring massive government subsidies to support farmers’ incomes in these sectors.
Prince Edward Island's Lands Protection Act serves as an illustration of how proper public policy can keep land out of the hands of corporations and investors.
"Partners in Innovation" is what is often called an “Astroturf” group – a fake grassroots group. While it claims to represent farmers, a closer look reveals that it is actually a mouthpiece for the corporate seed industry. Partners is part of an orchestrated public relations campaign specifically designed to counter anticipated opposition to the federal government’s agenda to implement UPOV ’91 in Canada.
The NFU promotes fair trade that is based in the principles of Food Sovereignty.
These videos were put together by NFU Youth in an effort to present the voices and concerns of the NFU and it’s members to a wider audience.
