I acknowledge that my farm is on land that has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples from the beginning. Long before today there have been Indigenous peoples who have been stewards of this place. This land I farm is part of the traditional territory of Anishinaabe, Ojibway/Chippewa and Haudenosaunee peoples. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada treaties. I endeavor to honour these treaties. I recognize and deeply appreciate the peoples' historic connection to this place. I also recognize the contributions Métis, Inuit and other Indigenous peoples have made, both in shaping and strengthening this land and community in particular and our province and country as a whole.
As settlers, this recognition of the contributions and historic importance of Indigenous peoples must be clearly and overtly connected to our collective commitment to make the promise and challenge of Truth and Reconciliation real in our communities. In particular to bring justice for murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls and to acknowledge and help to repair the intergenerational and current trauma caused by residential schools.
As settlers, this recognition of the contributions and historic importance of Indigenous peoples must be clearly and overtly connected to our collective commitment to make the promise and challenge of Truth and Reconciliation real in our communities. In particular to bring justice for murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls and to acknowledge and help to repair the intergenerational and current trauma caused by residential schools.
JFrans Farm is our small (less than 2 acres) farm in Fort Erie, Ontario. We grow and sell fresh vegetables and flowers and aim to increase our local food sustainability.
This farm is an attempt to support ourselves by growing delicious food, healthy herbs and beautiful flowers while making the planet better in the process. It's a bit of an experiment and it's based on learning about how to live in harmony with the natural world.
This farm is an attempt to support ourselves by growing delicious food, healthy herbs and beautiful flowers while making the planet better in the process. It's a bit of an experiment and it's based on learning about how to live in harmony with the natural world.
At JFrans Farm we want to make a difference. We want to help change agriculture and the system by which we feed ourselves. We think that this a key to improving our lives and the health of the planet. In nature the "first responders" are annual plants (plants that only live for one growing year) and the majority of vegetables you buy are annuals in our climate. That is why we started with a Community Supported Vegetable Box Program. The money generated from the "first responders" grew our first crop of vegetables and started us on this adventure. We have now bought our own piece of land on which we are able to plant and grow using techniques that heal the earth and create a lasting relationship.
Annual plants aren't meant to be a long term solution because in nature they would never be the only thing growing. A longer term plan, and one that indigenous people used before colonization, is about working with nature and the earth's tendency towards perennial ecosystems. The perennial plants help to fix the soil and create a more diverse community of plants and animals for pest and disease control.
Planting perennials enables our farm to more closely mimic the ecosystems of the planet. The perennial plants take a little longer to establish and produce food. These include nuts and fruit trees, berries and herbs. As the system grows these crops are available year after year without having to replant. The diversity also creates some insurance so that if one crop fails there are other options.
Another key is the the health of the soil. By recycling the wastes of our crops and chickens we can continuously enrich the soil from the compost these wastes create. There is little need for fertilizer. Our plan includes minimizing tillage and leaving the worms, bugs and bacteria to do the job they've been doing for millennia.
Planting perennials enables our farm to more closely mimic the ecosystems of the planet. The perennial plants take a little longer to establish and produce food. These include nuts and fruit trees, berries and herbs. As the system grows these crops are available year after year without having to replant. The diversity also creates some insurance so that if one crop fails there are other options.
Another key is the the health of the soil. By recycling the wastes of our crops and chickens we can continuously enrich the soil from the compost these wastes create. There is little need for fertilizer. Our plan includes minimizing tillage and leaving the worms, bugs and bacteria to do the job they've been doing for millennia.