A food security project is teaching indigenous youth the merits of gardening through a crash course on food systems and climate change.
When a Unitarian congregation in Ottawa’s West End neighborhood wanted to promote reconciliation in their community, they followed the advice of Verna McGregor, an elder from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, who suggested they start an indigenous learning center.
Ajashki, which means ground in Algonquian, grew out of that conversation. The project first materialized as a modest food security project. Members of the First Unitarian Congregation started a garden in the back of the church, presenting lessons on the intersection of food security, foraging and climate change.
But Ajashki’s scope later changed and now resembles McGregor’s original vision of a learning center with an intersectional focus on food security, climate solutions and reconciliation.
In its early stages, Ajashki was spearheaded by enthusiastic congregation members Lynn Kofmel, Sharon Bowen and Patti Wunsch, who are not indigenous. They contacted the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) for advice on how to develop their food security programme.
That’s where Kayoki Whiteduck, who is a member of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, came in. Whiteduck’s uncle works for AFN, and if there was someone to recommend with knowledge of sustainable agriculture and indigenous lived experiences, Whiteduck was the one.
what people are reading
Whiteduck’s horticultural roots run deep in the region. She started gardening when she was 15 years old, starting with green beans, watermelons and cucumbers.
“That was half my life ago, so I’ve been doing it for a while,” he said.
After graduating from high school, Whiteduck went to college to study horticulture in Victoria, BC A few years later, he started his own business, Mitigomin Agriculture, where he grows his own herbal teas and hopes to expand to other products soon.
Horticulturist and educator Kayoki Whiteduck advocates a hierarchy of farming practices: At the top, the most sustainable is garden-to-table farming, then farm-to-table, followed by grocery-to-table.
Whiteduck was also part of the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council from 2020 to August 2022, giving the youth council some indigenous representation. The council discussed challenges around agriculture, including diversifying the field to include more youth, women and people of color.
His combination of indigenous advocacy and horticultural prowess positioned Whiteduck to teach indigenous youth, whom Ajashki calls future “food warriors,” the merits of garden-to-table food security in thwarting climate change.
In 2021, Whiteduck and congregation coordinators built the project garden and welcomed two future food warriors, one indigenous and one non-indigenous. Rhea Blanco, the non-indigenous food warrior, continues to work with Ajashki on an ongoing basis.
Then, in 2022, the project was expanded. Ajashki welcomed seven more indigenous youth as his first cohort, including Inuit, Métis and future First Nations food warriors.
The cohort gardened, watched movies, and participated in Whiteduck-facilitated discussions within Ajashki’s classroom-like setting, where they would discuss how agricultural practices impact climate change.
Whiteduck advocates a hierarchy of farming practices: At the top, the most sustainable is garden-to-table farming, then farm-to-table, followed by grocery-to-table. Participants were paid Ottawa Living Wage during the summer term — $18.60 an hour — for his work.
Looking to the future, Ajashki hopes to partner with the National Capital Commission (NCC) to incorporate gardens into its wooded areas. Through NCC’s land, Ajashki hopes to create a healing forest, a food forest, and a rain garden that will grow without disturbing the nature that already exists there.
The healing forest is envisioned as a space for relaxation, populated by indigenous medicinal plants to resemble a pre-colonial ecosystem, Whiteduck said.
The food forest, on the other hand, is a tree-based garden with fruit trees and other forest-based harvestable foods, Whiteduck said.
The group is already using a plant-based solution to deal with ongoing runoff problems on the Unitarian church campus. His rain garden, planted with native species, will absorb water that erodes the banks of the Ottawa River and prevent road pollution from entering the water, said congregation member Wunsch, the Ajashki property manager.
Ajashki also hopes to find a source of income in the future so the learning center can become less dependent on its patrons, Whiteduck said.
Ajashki’s work has seriously advanced the reconciliation of the First Unitarian Congregation, non-indigenous members of the project said. Before Ajashki, they noted, the congregation viewed reconciliation in the abstract. Now, it has moved to the practical.
The project helped the congregation meet with indigenous youth to hear their truth, which is essential, Whiteduck said.
Matteo Cimellaro / Local Journalism Initiative / Canadian National Observer