Background Documents on Farm Renewal

As part of our on-going work to advocate for polices that better support a new generation of farmers, the New Farmer Intiative is compiling a series of resources (research reports, policy papers) to provide context and background on the need for greater attention to Farm Renewal within Federal and Provincial Agricultural Policy.  These documents come from a variety of organizations and perspectives; their inclusion here is not a formal endorsement, but an opportunity to spark dialogue and conversation on how to build a food system that supports and encourages new farmers. 

They include:

Policy Proposals on New Farmers in Canada:

• Towards a Farm Renewal, Business Development and Labour Pillar. New Farmer Initiatve, Food Secure.
• Home Grown Crisis: Growing Our Farm Population (2015). Eat Think Vote Camapaign, Food Secure Canada.
• National Farm Renewal Initiative: Policy Recommendations (2016). A set of policy recommendations and synthesis of previous New Farmer Initiative consultations, drafted by FarmStart.

Findings from several provincial and national New Farmer Surveys:

• The 2009 Dialogue Tour on Young Farmers and Farm Transfers. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
• New Farmers in Canada: A Baseline Report. ational Farmers Union Youth Caucus. The National Farmers Union Youth Caucus.
• New Farmer Survey: 2013. The Junior Farmers Association of Ontario.
• Learning to Become a Farmer. The Ontario FarmON Alliance.

Research and Policy Briefs on Agricultural Land in Canada:

• FARMLAND: a Prerequisite for Farmers, Food and Agri-Food Policy (2016). Agricultural Land Use Planning in Canada Project, led by Dr. David Connell.
• Loosing Our Grip - 2015 Update: Erosion of farmer autonomy and land ownership in Canada (2015). The Naitonal Farmers Union.
• Places to Farm: Alternative practices and policies for Ontario’s changing agricultural landscape (2013). The Metcalf Foundation.

Information and research on comparable programs and policies in the US and Europe:

• Focus Group New Entrants into farming: lessons to foster innovation and entrepreneurship (2016). Final Report, European Innovation Partnership Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI).
• A summary and list of projects funded through the USDA's Beginning Farmers and Ranchers program.

Policy Proposals on the future of agricultural in Canada

• Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the 2017 Budget (2016). National Farmers Union
• Positioning Canadian Agriculture for Future Sucess (2016). Canadian Federation of Agriculture.

We will continue to update this list in the coming weeks!