ABOUT
Welcome to the home of National Farmers Union’s professional development program for equity-deserving farmers, THE EXCHANGE: Cultivating Diversity in Agriculture — a place for farmers to connect and access supports for long-term success in their farming careers. Cohort members have access to training support, grant writing assistance, mentorship facilitation, networking opportunities and more.

Equity-deserving farmers include, but are not limited to, Indigenous farmers; Black and other racialized farmers; women farmers; youth farmers; 2SLGBTQI+ farmers, farmers with disabilities; and farmers in Official Language Minority Communities; and all farmworkers in these same groups.
Applications closed.
Meet the Farmers of The Exchange
Welcome to the heart of The Exchange – our community of farmers, farmworkers, and land stewards committed to growing a more inclusive and diverse Canadian agriculture. Here, you’ll meet inspiring individuals from across the country, each bringing their unique backgrounds, experiences, and visions for change to the land. Through The Exchange, these farmers are gaining the mentorship, training, and support to pursue their goals, build lasting connections, and thrive in agriculture.
Get to know the people behind the movement. These profiles highlight their journeys, the challenges they’ve overcome, and the dreams that drive them. Each story is a testament to the resilience and creativity shaping the future of Canadian agriculture.
Cohort 1
Ferron Family Farms,
a Black-owned, family-run business in New Brunswick, provides grass-fed, pasture-raised meats and culturally inspired products. We specialize in offering fresh cultural meat cuts, produce and products that are significant to various traditions, while promoting food security through sustainable farming. Our offerings include goat, beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and free-range eggs.
Kayla
began her farming journey in 2022 at Kwantlen’s TFN Farm school. This year she started up her own 5-acre Market Garden; Full Moon Farm located on Gabriola Island, BC. She grows a variety of vegetables, apples, flowers and medicinal herbs, using sustainable and regenerative farming practices.
Surendra Lawoti,
Originally from Nepal, Surendra immigrated to Canada in 2008 after studying visual arts in the US. Four years ago, he started growing Dalle peppers to make achar using his mother’s recipe. He has since expanded to market gardening, cultivating half an acre in Campbellville, Ontario, reconnecting with his roots.
Nicosia Miller
is a Christian, educator, and new farmer based in central Alberta on Treaty 6, Treaty 8, and Treaty 10 Territories. Originally from Jamaica, she is passionate about learning languages, traveling, and promoting health and wellness. Farming allows her to connect with her Creator through nature and share the gift of health with others by providing high-quality, nutritious food. She farms alongside her mom at Eden’s Organic Oasis Inc.
Candace Benson
grew up in Regina, SK, and agriculture has always been part of her life in one form or another. From weekends on her family’s grain farm, to spending time in the garden with her mom, and later working for an agricultural lender. The pandemic was an impetus for her to pursue production in a hands-on way, and in 2021 she co-founded City Street Farms, where she continues to farm today.
City Street Farms is an urban farm in Regina that turns front and back yards into productive flower, herb, and vegetable farms.
Mariela
was born in Argentina and immigrated to Canada in 2001. Her background in community outreach and social support led her to urban farming and food security projects in Toronto. Today, she is the Farm Manager of Wicked Welly Farm & Apiary, a rural eco-diverse agritourism farm where she helps run a small-scale mixed veggie CSA and educational programming encouraging people to enjoy and care for the outdoors and become more connected with their food.
You can sign up for the WWFA CSA at www.wickedwelly.ca or follow Mariela on Instagram @mariela.outside
Ekow Stone
has been working as a farmer and educator for the last 5 years focusing on culturally significant crops, cut flower production, and seed saving. He’s an artist working in the mediums of ink + pyrography, and has exhibited in a number of galleries across Southern Ontario.
Ekow Stone started It’s Giving Farm, an ecological veggie farm in the Rouge National Park, with his business partner Fianna Dirks in February 2023.
He enjoys passing the time watching anime, learning about ancient history and flower gazing.
Julia Janson
Julia a passé 10 ans dans le milieu de la danse en Europe avant qu’une blessure ne la pousse à chercher une nouvelle forme d’expression artistique. Au Québec, elle s’est formée en tant que travailleuse agricole sur des fermes bio-intensives et est tombée amoureuse des fleurs. Constatant l’impact environnemental de l’industrie de la fleur coupée, elle a créé sa propre ferme florale, Les Jardins de la Renarde, et collabore étroitement avec Les Radicelles, au travers une aventure agricole et communautaire avec ses deux amies. À travers son travail, elle sensibilise à des alternatives locales et durables. Julia croit qu’un monde meilleur est possible en alignant les enjeux sociaux, politiques, alimentaires, agricoles et féministes.
Charles Catchpole
Gitigaanes is an urban microfarm in Flemingdon Park run by Anishinaabe chef, Charles Catchpole. Along with his wife, Germain, they also operate Charger Foods and Mnopgwad Preserves.
Olivia Cronin
Olivia Cronin is a first generation farmer who has been growing food since she was a teenager working in community gardens and food justice projects. This interest led her to move to Canada from the US to study agricultural science and to gain skills working on farms. Since 2020 she has been the farm manager at Cropthorne Farm in Delta, BC, a diversified organic vegetable farm growing year-round for the local community.
Vania Bowman
At Hapi Farms, Vania isn’t just growing food—she’s cultivating resilience, community, and adeeper connection between people and the land. Nestled in the heart of Manitoba, Hapi Farms is more than a farm; it’s a living ecosystem where regenerative practices restore soil health, nourish biodiversity, and ensure that food production works in harmony with nature. Picture a place where the symphony of buzzing pollinators harmonizes with the rustling of wind through native grasses, a place where the needs of both people and the planet are honoured. Guided by a passion for ecological stewardship and food justice, Vania has woven her formal education, global experiences, and deep-rooted love for the land into a farming model that prioritizes sustainability and abundance. At Hapi Farms, diverse annual and perennial crops thrive alongside pollinator habitats and native grasslands, fostering a landscape where food forests take root, ecosystems regenerate, and nature’s interconnectedness is not just acknowledged—it’s celebrated. Vania believes that access to healthy, affordable food is a fundamental right, not a privilege. Through her work, she is not only growing nourishing crops but also strengthening food sovereignty, advocating for equitable food systems, and inspiring others to embrace regenerative agriculture. At Hapi Farms, the land is not merely a resource—it’s a partner in a shared future, one where people, plants, and wildlife thrive together.
Ness Hall
is a farmer-florist with a deep passion for plants, sustainability, and community care. A former OCAD University student, she transitioned from the arts to agriculture, gaining hands-on experience as a cherry picker in the Okanagan, a farmhand on a mixed-vegetable operation, and a farmstand operator. For the past six years, Ness has cultivated food, flowers, and medicinal herbs on a 3,000 sq. ft. growing space at her rented farmhouse to share with family and friends. She launched her cut-flower business from this space in 2024 and is expanding production this year to increase volume and reach.
Her long-term vision is to establish an accessible, perennial farm that integrates food, flowers, medicinal herbs, and dye plants—creating a thriving, inclusive space. With lived experience of disability, adversity, and resilience, she hopes to provide employment opportunities for disabled individuals and offer programming for survivors of abuse, at-risk youth, and people with Disabilities.
Joce Tremblay
Joce creatively weaves their experiences raised on an organic family farm, urban/near-urban agriculture, and community art, through a practice they refer to as Earthwork. They currently steward land with the Sweetgrassroots Collective at Black Creek Community Farm, at Maloca Garden (YorkU) and along the Humber River with ReSistering community.
Cohort 2
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Acknowledgements
The Government of Canada is supporting the National Farmers Union for this project through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriDiversity Program, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
Le gouvernement du Canada soutient l’union nationale des fermiers dans ce projet par l’intermédiaire du programme Agri-diversité d’Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada, une initiative dans le cadre du Partenariat canadien pour une agriculture durable.
