Photo credit: Alex Chabot
In this unprecedented period of inflation, proximity farming
is a solution to help the local economy.
As the agricultural season takes root, the Family Farmers Network takes a stand and releases a manifesto. Entitled Resilience manifesto, it promotes eco-friendly, sustainable, collective Quebec agriculture.
Written by the author, visual artist and former restaurant owner Elisabeth Cardin, the manifesto includes several ambitious and hopeful demands. Among them: the multiplication of human-scaled local farms; educative agricultural initiatives; and most of all, the implantation of government measures to facilitate this important agricultural revolution. Family farmers raise their voices to remind everyone that agriculture is essential, and that we must take an interest in it in order to make informed decisions.
“In order to guide the country towards concrete actions, each citizen can support and demand the transformation of the agri-food industry. For example, by buying from a family farmer, farmers’ markets and local organic grocery stores; by varying their diet according to the seasons; by demanding that municipalities install edible plant beds and public food spaces; by replacing their lawn by aromatic, medicinal, nectar-producing or vegetable plants; and by getting involved with the selection of food served in schools and hospitals.” Excerpt from the manifesto
“This rallying text also invites the population to participate in this crucial agri-food transformation. I hope that this manifesto will be a collective reminder that it’s possible to achieve wonderful things.” Emilie Viau-Drouin, family farmer and president of CAPÉ
ABOUT THE FAMILY FARMERS NETWORK (RFF)
For 25 years the Family Farmers Network (RFF) has connected certified local organic farmers and citizens via the organic basket formula. We believe in proximity farming based on agricultural principles supported by the community, with no middle person between you and your local producer. Created by Équiterre in 1996, the RFF is a solidarity network of vegetable producers and consumers concerned with what they eat and the environment. Today it is made up of more than 145 certified or pre-certification organic farms across Quebec and New Brunswick. Each year — spring, summer, fall, winter—the RFF provides local organic vegetables to more than 60,000 people. Now managed by the Coopérative pour l’agriculture de proximité écologique (CAPÉ), the Network will continue its growth by maintaining a robust structure, constantly adding new members, and becoming increasingly attractive to consumers.
