Conversations on Land Access

Series 3

Conversations on Land Access speaks to one, if not the most, important issue facing young farmers today – access to affordable, secure and arable land. Farming these days is an exceptional feat yet there remains this narrative of “If you follow this path, you’ll be able to grow like me.” The Sow&Grow team wanted to break open the conversation to reveal the unique land access stories that tell a very different story. 

This series is told from the perspective of first generation, settler farmers growing food in the ‘Canadian’ food system. We believe it is important to know one’s own food system before setting off on the path of building a new one if, for nothing else, to learn from the mistakes already made. 

This series is a starting point when considering how land access is inherently about equity.  We recognize that land sits firmly at the intersection of many of the oppressive dynamics facing all of us and we hope these conversations will add to the continued fight for structural, systematic and nation(s) wide change needed to bring our communities back into right-relation with the land we call home.  

Originally released in October 2024.

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Episodes

Episode 1: Why Land Access?

Land access is a constant topic among young farmers: “Where are you farming? How did you get the land?” In this episode, hosts Stuart Oke,...
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Episode 2: What’s the deal with Québec?

The crew explores how Québec is leading the way in farm renewal through effective policies and regional solutions. With insights from farmers, policymakers, and land...
View Episode about Episode 2: What’s the deal with Québec?

Episode 3: If I could say one thing to someone wanting to farm from my context, it would be…

Farming journeys are rarely the same, whether first-generation or intergenerational. There’s no simple path, making the ‘how’ hard to pin down. In this episode, the...
View Episode about Episode 3: If I could say one thing to someone wanting to farm from my context, it would be…

Episode 4: Farming on ‘Public’ Lands – Highs and Lows

Public lands in Canada—like parks or crown land—are government-managed, with the nation’s people as primary stakeholders. S&G sought out the rare cases where growing food...
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Episode 5: Beyond Private Ownership: Where does the conversation need to go?

Episode 5 features an in-depth conversation between two former co-farmers on finding security in a precarious system. This discussion challenges colonial perspectives on land and...
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Episode 6: Finding Hope in the Unique Stories

Reflect on the season’s land access stories and strategies with S&G hosts. While six episodes can’t capture every voice, the conversation is growing, and we’ll...
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Production Team

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Aliyah Fraser

Aliyah is a Kitchener-based farmer who owns and operates a quarter acre market garden called Lucky Bug Farm on rented land in Waterloo Region where she grows a variety of produce for a small CSA program. The farm operates within the Haldimand Tract in Kitchener, Ontario and is on the traditional territory of the Mississauga, Anishnabeg, Attiwonderonk (neutral) and Haudenoshaunee peoples. She imagines a food system where more people have access to ecologically grown food, where there is less waste and where there’s a better understanding of the labour it takes to get food from the farm to the table. Aliyah also has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies in Urban planning from the University of Waterloo. She believes that food and housing are human rights. She lives in Kitchener, Ontario with her partner Thomas and cat Frankie.

luckybugfarm.com | @luckybugfarm

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Kate Garvie

Kate founded Heartbeet Farm in 2018 after spending four years working on organic vegetable farms across Ontario. She first learned about ecological agriculture at Trent University during her undergraduate degree. After completing a Master’s of Environmental Studies, Kate returned to farming with a better understanding of the connections between food sovereignty, indigenous solidarity and climate justice. She is passionate about building a local food system that is environmentally sound and socially just.

Heartbeet Farm | IG: @heartbeet_farm

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Madeline (Maddie) Marmor

Maddie is a landless farmer born in downtown Toronto. She has been farming for the past 8 years on farms throughout Ontario and has grown food on the current and traditional lands of the Houdensaunee, Anishinabewaki, Attiwonderonk, Mississauga, Odawa, Wendake-Nionwentsïo, Petun, Saugeene – Ojibiway nations. Over the years she has come to recognize the privilege and political significance of farming on stolen land, knowledge which has informed her dedication to food sovereignty and agroecology. She is an active member of the National Farmers Union, sits on the North American Nyéléni Coordination and accompanies systems change in food spaces as an adult education facilitator. 

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Stuart Oke

Stuart is a young farmer from Eastern Ontario who, alongside his partner Nikki, owns and operates Rooted Oak Farm, a 12 acre organic vegetable and cut flower farm. After years of renting land Rooted Oak in 2020 relocated to Eastern Ontario, and the traditional territory of the Anishinabek, Huron-Wendat, Haudensaunee and Oneida Peoples. In addition to loving food and taking pride in growing food that sustains people, the farm was founded on the idea that farming is a political act, one capable of creating great change.

www.rootedoak.ca | @rootedoakfarm