Acadia hosts conference on Mi’kmaq knowledge, agriculture, and resilient food futures
Mi’kmaq knowledge holders, growers, academics, government partners, and allies gathered on the Acadia University campus in Mi’kma’ki for two days in January. The event featured learning, relationship-building, and envisioning Mi’kmaq-led sustainable food futures.
Participants at the Growing Together: Mi’kmaq Knowledge, Agriculture, and Resilient Food Futures conference heard stories about collaborations between Mi’kmaq communities and the agriculture sector, learned from Elders and knowledge keepers about Mi’kmaq ecological knowledge, and discussed concrete next steps toward shared priorities.
The program also included opportunities to connect across sectors and explore potential partnerships and projects that honour land stewardship, ecological resilience, and community wellbeing.
“This Conference was the start of what attendees called a systems shift. It was a time of hearing, sharing and relationship-building. New friendships were formed, and many walked away with immediate actions and collaborations they could get started on. Some of the visioning is long-term. The biggest takeaway is that in a world where we see so much darkness and polarity, it is refreshing to be in a space of hope, excitement and joy.”
– Zabrina Whitman (Executive Advisor, L’nu Affairs and Indigenization)
Event designed for ideas-and-action gathering
Delegates focused on building relationships across Mi’kmaq, academia, and the agriculture industry. They also learned to build the conditions for action-oriented partnerships and focused on concrete next steps to integrate Indigenous worldview and shared priorities.
Conference topics included
- Stories from the ground about real partnerships between Mi’kmaq communities and the agricultural sector, including what’s worked well and what still needs attention.
- Elders and knowledge keepers sharing perspectives on Indigenous ecological knowledge and its contributions to food systems, land stewardship, and climate resilience.
- Conversations that matter about action, possibility, and what we might build together.
- Opportunities to connect with others across sectors and communities, and to explore potential partnerships and projects.
- A focus on community-based and non-traditional farming, including how we grow not just food, but connection, care, and sustainability.
- A respectful space to reflect on the food system gaps that exist, especially for Mi’kmaq communities, and how we can co-create better paths forward.
- An invitation to help shape the future of agriculture in Mi’kma’ki and Nova Scotia, with Mi’kmaq expertise at the centre
Acadia University is a member of the Springboard Network of 19 post-secondary institutions in Atlantic Canada. Our mission is to grow the regional economy through industry collaborations and research commercialization