Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
New-wave NWT farming hits Golden Horseshoe 16 Wednesday October 28 2015 By KIM RAPATI Hello from Toronto Its the night before the Canadian Food and Drink Summit and here I am thinking about what the North- ern Farm Training Institute NFTI can share with the key stakeholders in Cana- das food ecosystem who will be meeting for the next two days. I have been given this opportunity by Hellmanns Canada who we worked collaboratively with to build a geo- desic dome greenhouse in Hay River. Now they have brought me to Canadas largest city to set up a NFTI booth and I wonder how can I communicate what is going on at home our Northern local food revolu- tion and how can I make it important for the people here Just like NFTIs farm campus in Hay River I have also experienced a transfor- mation over the last couple of months. Our campus site was a former industrial pig con- finement operation. We deconstructed the derelict buildings and up has grown a di- verse system that brings abundance to the land. I feel like Ive gone through a similar deconstruction regarding my purpose in this world. I feel like I was taught my whole life that humans cause destruction and to be the best I can be I should leave no trace or try to make as little impact as possible. Now I know that this is not true. I have learned that our land needs animals and it needs us. We can be a powerful tool to revitalizing our ecosystem. This year NFTI has joined a prestigious network of farm education centres around the world who promote the work of the Sa- vory Institute. The Savory Institute promotes large-scale restoration of the earths land- scapes through regenerative agriculture OP-ED AGRICULTURE PhotocourtesyofNFTI using holistic management decision mak- ing with the big-picture in mind. With ho- listic management people learn to listen to the land and make incredible changes. Through regenerative agriculture we se- quester carbon recharge water systems and vastly increase productivity on our croplands all with a system that lets ani- mals act naturally and supports our wild ecosystems. If more farmers around the world learn holistic management we can reverse climate change while empowering local communities. OK now that seems like a message just for farmers and land managers. How will city people at this big Toronto confer- ence be a part of the solution too Well as we have seen in our recent federal elec- tion each persons voice makes an impact. People can vote for positive agriculture every day by buying and eating local food or food that has been produced using re- generative practices. I think that is the message I will promote here. As the incredible poet Wendell Berry once said eating is an agricultural act and we can reach people where they can also act in a powerful way - through their daily food choices. You can make your food choices have a global impact. You can support local farmers and you can invest in people who work to bring life to the land. You can eat to reverse climate change. Heres what Im going to try and communicate tomor- row with the people of Toronto. Ill let you know how it goes Kim Rapati is the operations manager at the NorthernFarmTrainingInstituteanon-prot society based in Hay River NWT. the NORTHS full service bureau cascade graphics Contact Cascade Graphics at 867 872-3000 or graphicsnorj.ca 207 McDougal Rd Fort Smith NT Photocopying - Up to 11 x 17 colour and black white Faxing - SendingReceiving Scanning Document Printing CDDVD Writing ID Photos for treaty cards FAC Cerlox Binding and Laminating Personalized Greeting Cards WeddingSpecial Occasion Invitations Business Cards Letterhead Newsletters Resumes and Brochures Personalized Promotional Material Mugs Pens Hats Mouse Pads etc. printing All printing includes professional colour correction and retouching if necessary. restoration Need an old or damaged photograph restored Old prints can be scanned and preserved. large format Poster and Banner printing available. Printing up to 34 wide Reprint any photo from the Northern Journal. full service copy centre call for a quote full service photo printing Bill Sitkin of Growing Spaces inside the new geodesic dome greenhouse at NFTI.