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.
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.
Subscribe
"(Required)" indicates required fields
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.
