Land Access (Part One)

Sow and Grow Podcast

In today’s episode we will learn about land access issues, specifically the financialization of growing/farm land with our guest Katherine Aske. We’re going to clarify the difference between valuing land as a financial asset, a commodity and valuing land by its productivity. Access to farmland is one of the main factors gatekeeping agriculture because of the colonial context, financial challenges, and land grabbing done by speculative investors. Katherine shares findings from her research about land tenure models in the Canadian context.

Our guest, Katherine Aske, grew up in Mi'kma'ki. From 2019-2020, she interviewed grain and oilseed farmers across Alberta for her MA research into the financialization of farmland. She has worked as a farm worker in Alaska and around Vancouver, and is currently farming on unceded Musqueam territory as UBC Farm's Practicum Field Coordinator. She previously worked for the National Farmers Union (NFU) in New Brunswick, and is now involved in leading the NFU's Farmland Committee.

Disclaimer: The thoughts and opinions expressed by the guest and producers of this podcast do not necessarily represent the thoughts, opinions or policy of our sponsors, including that of the National Farmers Union.

Hosts: Madeline Marmor & Ayla Fenton

Bio: Ayla is a first-generation farmer and community organizer. She graduated from Queen's University in 2011 with a B. Sc (Honours) in Biology, and since 2013 has been working on local organic farms, learning regenerative production methods for vegetables, livestock, cereal grains and dairy. Since. Ayla has been a board member of the National Farmers Union, and is a former Youth President.

Maddie is a landless farmer born in downtown Toronto. She has been farming for the past 7 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 a member of the National Farmers Union and sits on the Climate Justice collective for the international social movement La Via Campesina.

For more about land issues and Kat’s farming experience, check out the links below.

• http://nationalfarmersfoundation.ca/
• Losing Our Grip How a Corporate Farmland Buy-up, Rising Farm Debt, and Agribusiness Financing of Inputs Threaten Family Farms and Food Sovereignty | National Farmers Union
• Protecting the Commons | National Farmers Union
• Farmland Ownership | National Farmers Union
• About Us | CSFS at UBC Farm

As always, a huge thank you to the National Farmers Foundation (NFF)

ETC GROUP Links

Who will feed us third edition (2017): https://www.etcgroup.org/whowillfeedus

Who will feed us animations (2018): https://www.etcgroup.org/content/new-video-who-will-feed-us-peasant-food-web-vs-industrial-food-chain