Canadian Feed The Children (CFTC) has been named one of the 15 winners of the 2020 TD Ready Challenge presented by TD Bank Group. The funds will help expand CFTC’s innovative Indigenous Food Forest initiative in four Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

ADDRESSING A WORSENING FOOD INSECURITY CRISIS

COVID-19 has made sustainable local food systems like food forests an immediate priority for Indigenous communities, who face significantly worse food insecurity because of the pandemic. Nearly half of First Nations families already faced difficulty putting food on the table prior to 2020. Rising food prices, food shortages and lockdown restrictions have made these problems even worse.

WHAT’S A FOOD FOREST?

A food forest is a self-sustaining, nature-inspired, multifunctional agricultural system that provides fruits, vegetables, other edibles, medicines and cultural resources. Unlike an orchard planted in rows, a food forest requires little maintenance once established. The video below shows how the unique forest layers compliment one another and facilitate growth.

With this $1,000,000 grant, three new food forests will be established in Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, Atikameg (Whitefish Lake First Nation #459) and Beardy’s & Okemasis’ Cree Nation, building on a successful pilot in Muskeg Lake Cree Nation. Once established, the food forests will become self-sustaining local food systems that anchor local food sovereignty, which is the ability of communities to self-determine their food systems.

For full story please refer to CFTC link below: 

https://canadianfeedthechildren.ca/the-feed/td-ready-challenge/