Equity Project of Farmers for Climate Solutions: Call for focus group participants
March 18, 2021
Farmers for Climate Solutions would like to invite you to participate in a focus group for diversity, equity and inclusion.
Call for focus group participants: Equity Project of Farmers for Climate Solutions!
Farmers for Climate Solutions (FCS) wants to hear the voices of Black farmers, Indigenous farmers and food providers, farmers of colour, 2SLGBTQ+ farmers, farmers with disabilities, women, small-scale farmers, and new Canadians. We know that our sector will be stronger when there is greater diversity in agriculture.
The Equity Project of Farmers for Climate Solutions seeks to better understand the barriers and challenges that face farmers with marginalized identities in order to develop a framework that we can apply to our climate solutions work. The framework will function as a guide to increase opportunities and lower barriers for marginalized farmers generally and in the context of recommendations to the federal government for climate solutions policy and programs.
Farmers for Climate Solutions’ Equity Project is being led by Arzeena Hamir (farmer of colour) and Abra Brynne (queer food policy expert). They will be hosting a series of focus groups organized by sector for Black farmers, Indigenous farmers and food providers, farmers of colour, 2SLGBTQ+ farmers, farmers with disabilities, women, small-scale farmers, and new Canadians.
The focus groups sectors include: market gardeners, livestock, grains and oilseeds, and fruit (tree, vine and bush). Each focus group session will run for two hours, and will include an honorarium of $50 for participants.
Focus group dates:
- March 21: Market gardeners [NOW FULL]
- March 28: Livestock farmers
- April 11: Fruit farmers
- Date TBD: Grain and oilseed farmers
If you are interested in participating or wish to learn more, please contact Abra. You can reach her via email abrabrynne [at] gmail [dot] com or call 250-777-2480 (please note that Abra is in the Pacific Time Zone).
Please share this call among your networks too!
About Farmers for Climate Solutions
Farmers for Climate Solutions is a coalition of farmer-led and farmer-supporting organizations formed in early 2020. We work to advance agricultural policies that will help Canadian farmers mitigate and adapt to climate change. A set of recommendations was submitted to the federal government for consideration in the 2021 federal budget.
FCS is committed to policy and program proposals that acknowledge and, where possible, serve the diversity within our sector. At a minimum policies must not increase inequity. Ideally, we aim to enhance the participation and leadership of farmers and food producers who are currently under-represented in mainstream agricultural leadership and policy decision-making.
What is SeedChange’s role in Farmers for Climate Solutions?
Since 2019, SeedChange has worked with a network of organizations to bring together and launch FCS. SeedChange is the secretariat of Farmers for Climate Solutions.