FNACS Spurring First Nations Interest In Agriculture

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

A provincial funding contribution of $150,000 will enable the First Nations Agricultural Council of Saskatchewan (FNACS) to continue building and promoting educational programming that fosters agricultural development in First Nations communities.

Deanne Kasokeo, FNACS Youth Education Program Co-ordinator, says the council's intent is to increase agricultural awareness and appreciation among First Nations youth by making it a focus of their school curriculum.

"We're trying to encourage First Nations youth to go into agricultural careers by exposing, educating and making them aware of the agricultural industry here in Saskatchewan," Kasokeo said.

"FNACS acts as a liaison between the 86 First Nations schools in the province. We have a number of educational resources that we are able to provide to them, and we send out materials as requested on various topics, which then become part of the curriculum in those schools."

Kasokeo says FNACS regularly collaborates with the Saskatchewan branch of Agriculture in the Classroom, an industry-sponsored organization that provides tools and supports to enable greater agricultural programming in the education sector.

"We partnered to introduce a ‘Little Green Thumbs' project for First Nations students around the grade five level to grow indoor gardens," she stated. "It was a terrific project, very educational and very well received by the kids."

Kasokeo says the provincial funding is a big boost to FNACS, and will be used by the group to support the provision of further education, training and development programming.

"The Traditional Knowledge Curriculum is one of our programs that we're currently researching and developing," she noted. "Through it, we intend to incorporate traditional First Nations knowledge about land, resources and the environment for our youth to access."

For Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food (SAF), the good work of FNACS made its funding decision fairly easy.

"The Government of Saskatchewan is very interested in the development of youth and the development of First Nations and their capabilities in the agricultural area," said Lyle Stavness, SAF's Manager of Farm Business Management Services, "so it's a natural fit for us to provide some funding support to the programs that FNACS is organizing to promote that kind of development in the sector."

Kasokeo says FNACS will keep working hard to achieve its mandate of "developing a strong, viable and sustainable agricultural sector both on and off the reserve for status Indians in the province of Saskatchewan."

In her view, "That includes educating young people and making them aware of opportunities on the land. It includes delivering programs and services right to the First Nations communities in areas like renewal, environmental farm planning and co-operative development. And it includes working with the Saskatchewan 4-H Council to continue establishing clubs in First Nations communities across the province."

More information on the First Nations Agricultural Council of Saskatchewan can be found on the group's website at http://www.fnacs.ca/.

For more information, contact:
Deanne Kasokeo, Youth Education Program Co-ordinator
First Nations Agricultural Council of Saskatchewan Inc.
Phone: (306) 978-8872
E-mail: deanne@fnacs.ca
Website : http://www.fnacs.ca/

Lyle Stavness, Manager of Farm Business Management Services
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Phone: (306) 787-4323
E-mail: lstavness@agr.gov.sk.ca