Indigenous food systems: Toolkits and resources

Ministry resources

B.C. has many programs, services and resources to help and support Indigenous people and communities involved with agriculture and food systems. This section guides you to some of those services and resources.

Planning for controlled environment agriculture in Indigenous communities (November 2024)

This guide is based on first-hand interviews with individuals working in communities who have invested in or considered investing in shipping container-type growing systems, sharing what they have learned through the process. It is intended to assist communities and organizations in their local food and agriculture planning processes and support informed decision-making.
 

• Guide (PDF, 2.5 MB)
• Guide, mobile version (PDF, 5.8 MB)

Greenhouse checklist: Essential considerations for the purchase and operation of community greenhouses

This Greenhouse checklist (fillable PDF, 1.7 MB) consists of a series of self-assessment questions, with related information and tips covering key considerations when planning to purchase, build, and ultimately operate a small to medium-sized greenhouse. 

Business and market development resources

Many business development and management tools to support running a farm or food business. Some example resources include:

• Enterprise budgets
• New Farm Start-Up Guide
• Taking Stock: Self-Assessment Tool

Buy BC and BC product directories

Helping consumers identify B.C. food and agricultural products so that they can Buy BC has never been more important! Visit Buy BC to learn more about free Buy BC marketing and logo licensing supports, how to profile your business and network with potential suppliers and buyers, and how to become a Buy BC Member.  

The Province has two directories to profile B.C. products and connect B.C. producers and processes with B.C. purchasers. Find business or register yours with:

• Buy BC Product Directory to find Buy B.C. registered products
• BC Food Directory to find B.C. Products, B.C. Producers, B.C. Processors and B.C. Buyers

Did you know that the B.C. Food Directory can be filtered to highlight Indigenous owned and operated business and business owned by other equity deserving populations? It can!

Farm Credit Canada

• FCC Indigenous Agriculture and Food Lending - Province of British Columbia

Resources for food and beverage processors

B.C. supports the more than 3,500 food and beverage processing companies in the Province. Learn more about resources for food and beverage processors:
•   Food and beverage processing - Province of British Columbia
•   Resources for abattoirs - Province of British Columbia
•   Small Scale Food Processors Association
•   BC Food and Beverage

Production guides and resources

Visit the ministry’s Crop Production and Animal Production pages to access numerous crop- and animal-specific information, resources and tools, such as: 

• Small flock poultry health manual (PDF, 4.4MB)

Learn about information and resources available on:

• Agroforestry, including on forest farming and food forests
• Agricultural regions and soil characteristics

Indigenous Agriculture Needs Assessment
The Indigenous Agriculture Needs Assessment provides a broad snapshot of the level of agrifood activity, interest, and needs expressed by First Nations Communities in B.C. Indigenous Agriculture Needs Assessment (PDF).

 

 

Emergency management for agriculture

To assist Indigenous and First Nations communities with planning for the agricultural aspects of emergencies, the ministry has developed this guide: Emergency Guide to Support Indigenous Farms and Ranches in B.C. 

 

Partner resources

Stay up to date with supports for Indigenous Peoples from the Province of B.C.

The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), the Indigenous Sports Physical Activity and Recreation Council (ISPARC), Farm to School and other organizations have created numerous tools, factsheets, videos and other resources:

ISPARC: Food Systems Program

• A Journey Toward Indigenous Food Security & Food Sovereignty (PDF)

FNHA: 

• Planning for food security: A toolkit for the COVID-19 pandemic
• FNHA-Social-Consequences-of-COVID-19-and-Climate-Change-on-Indigenous-Food-Security (PDF)
• Common Language Project Report 2023 (PDF)
• UNDERSTANDING COMMON LANGUAGE A toolkit for understanding and reflecting on the words Traditional Foods, Food Security, Nutrition and Medicine

Also see many resources on FNHA’s Healthy Eating Page, including Traditional Foods Facts Sheets, Food is Medicine Recipe Book and Indigenous Recipes from Dietitians of Canada, and much more.

• Healthy Food Guidelines For First Nations Communities
• Food is Medicine Cooking Show, Season 1 and Season 2
• Canning Foods: Your Guide to Successful Canning
• Food is Medicine Cooking Show, Season 2

Farm to School BC:

• Learning from the Land: Resources and stories from K-12 schools engaged with Indigenous Plants and Pedagogy
• Local Foods to School: Reconnecting the children of Haida Gwaii to their land and their food