Northern Partnerships
Our Relationship With The North
Food Matters Manitoba has deep respect for northern communities and the food systems that have sustained people for generations.
We know the North carries unique strengths, responsibilities, and challenges. Food access is shaped by distance, freight, winter roads, seasonal access, climate pressures, infrastructure gaps, and the ongoing impacts of colonization on land, food, and community systems.
We also know northern communities are not defined by barriers.
The North is home to harvesters, growers, knowledge holders, youth, families, leaders, and community members who continue to build, adapt, teach, feed, and care for one another.
Food Matters Manitoba remains committed to supporting northern food systems in ways that honour local knowledge, community leadership, traditional foods, land-based learning, and long-term relationships.
We love the North, and we will continue to show up for the North.
The Harvester Program supports harvesters and local teams who harvest, process, store, and share traditional foods.
This work helps strengthen access to traditional foods while supporting cultural revitalization, knowledge sharing, and relationships with land and water. Harvesters are food providers and knowledge holders who help carry food traditions, teachings, and land-based practices forward.
The Youth Harvester Program supports hands-on learning where youth learn from harvesters, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, families, and community mentors.
Through harvesting, food preparation, land-based learning, cultural teachings, and mentorship, youth build skills, confidence, and stronger connections to land, culture, identity, and community.
The Agriculture & Growth Support Program supports gardens, growing projects, school food initiatives, greenhouse development, supplies, training, and local food production.
This work also supports broader food systems development, including storage, equipment, infrastructure, planning, and practical supports that help communities grow, share, and manage food locally.
Food Matters Manitoba is developing workshops and training opportunities connected to food, land, culture, harvesting, growing, and local food systems.
This area of work is being developed with harvesters, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, growers, youth harvesters, local facilitators, and subject matter experts who will help shape and lead the learning.
Culture, Medicine, and Ceremony Support recognizes that food, land, language, ceremony, and culture are connected.
This program supports community-led cultural and land-based food work, including gatherings, feasts, medicines, ceremonies, Knowledge Keeper involvement, youth learning, and intergenerational connection.
Emergency Wildfire Support focuses on food access planning and support during wildfires, evacuations, freight disruptions, road changes, and other emergencies.
This support is available on an as-needed basis, and we hope communities never have to rely on it. When disruptions happen, Food Matters Manitoba helps support coordination, partnerships, food access, and stronger community readiness.
Research, Evaluation & Policy supports learning, documentation, and systems change connected to food security, Indigenous food sovereignty, health and wellness, and community economic development.
This work helps show what communities are building, where gaps remain, what supports are needed, and what funders and decision-makers need to understand.