THE PRAIRIES

The unique food and seed landscape of the Prairies sets the region apart, with the largest farms in Canada and a strong tradition of public plant breeding research. The Prairies are home to the largest number of organic producers in Canada, the country’s first provincial food charter, and home of the University of Manitoba’s Participatory Plant Breeding program.

Organic Alberta represents and strengthens the organics sector in Alberta through leadership, networking, education, communication, and advocacy. A collaboration of all stakeholders - from consumers to producers and everything in between – Organic Alberta is a well-connected, membership-driven organization with a demonstrated commitment to good, pure, healthful food. Through its recent seed-centered field days, Organic Alberta flagged the need for regionally adapted seed systems. Hosting The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security will greatly increase their capacity to create just that, while working across the entire Prairie region.

The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security is a partner of the The Northern Manitoba Food, Culture and Community Collaborative (NMFCCC), an innovative collaborative of northern community people, northern advisors, funders and organizations working together to foster healthier and stronger communities in Northern Manitoba, through improved access to healthy food. Read more about the NMFCCC.

The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security was also a funder and supporter of the Prairie Organic Grain Initiative, a 4-year, $2.2 million project dedicated to achieving resiliency and stability in the prairie organic sector by focusing on increasing the quantity and quality of organic grains, and developing relationships across the organic market value chains. It was a partnership of the three provincial organic associations (Organic Alberta, SaskOrganics, and Manitoba Organic Alliance) with funding from the industry-supported Prairie Organic Development Fund, and matched federal funding and partnerships with several industry stakeholders. The Prairie Organic Grain Initiative was focusing on improving the quality and quantity of organic grains through the development and distribution of educational research and mobilizing knowledge transfer from the latest organic agriculture research. Read more about POGI.

You can subscribe to The Prairie Pod Newsletter to receive the latest resources, information, and stories of seeds and plant breeding on the Prairies. Click here to subscribe to the quarterly newsletter.

Other program activities in the Prairies include workshops, training, and variety trials. Sarah Preston is the Regional Coordinator for The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security for Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. You can reach her by email at sarah.preston@organicalberta.org.  Read more about the program in The Prairies.