Two farm organizations have launched an online fundraising campaign to provide immediate financial support to Atlantic Canadian farmers struggling with the effects of climate change, while national farm groups push for broader federal policy changes ahead of the fall budget.
The Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network and the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security started the online fundraiser targeting farmers who do not have crop insurance. The fund is open to non-subsistence farmers whose operation is their primary income stream, located in the Atlantic region, and who practice ecological agriculture.
Hosted on GoFundMe, the fund has raised about $4,500 as of Oct 13, according to CBC. Eligible farmers will initially receive a cheque for $500 on a first-come, first-served basis.
“I was feeling frustrated. We were hearing kind of anecdotally from farmers across the country really, but especially in the Atlantic region, just how terribly tricky this season has been,” said Bethany Koughan, the network’s program manager. “So, this was a way for us to … address it head on and do something quickly and directly.”
Koughan said she has heard from growers who have experienced significant losses or poor yields, had to till fall crops due to drought, were unable to harvest blueberries because of the forest use ban, and had to purchase feed due to poor pasture growth.
Rachael Robertson of Robertson’s Farm and Apothecary in Canaan, N.S., said she had to switch her 17 cattle to hay on Aug. 12 because grass stopped growing due to dry conditions.
“At $70 per bale and feeding one bale of hay per day, we are in the red before the winter even brushes our fields with a dusting of snow,” she said.
Adam Furlong, a market gardener in Bloomfield, N.L., said the intense heat impacted his crops, especially potato plants, which partially died back, and peppers, which got burned by hot temperatures.
“I grew up here and I’ve never seen it this hot or this, you know, like we always kind of joke that Newfoundland is the land of rain, drizzle and fog because that’s usually all we ever get here,” Furlong said. “And we barely got any rain.”
In September, the National Farmers Union submitted its pre-budget policy brief ahead of the Nov. 4 federal budget, calling for a minimum 25% budget increase for all food and agriculture regulators, including the Canada Food Inspection Agency, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, the Canadian Grain Commission, and Health Canada.
The brief also recommends establishing a federal research and agricultural extension institution, funding a participatory task force to design new programs upon the completion of the current Agriculture Policy Framework cycle in 2028, and revising Canada’s Temporary Migrant Worker programs to support full labour rights and a reliable pathway to permanent residency.
What are some ways that Canadian farmers can be supported during these challenging times? Share your insights in the comments below.
