Young Agrarians (YA), is a farmer2farmer resource network that delivers programs and services year round to support the next generation of ecological food growers in Canada!

YA is part of Agrarians Foundation (AF), whose mission is to educate the public by providing courses, seminars, workshops, and counselling about agriculture, farming, food processing, entrepreneurship, community economic development and environmental sustainability. 

Donors like you are helping to grow the next generation of farmers in Canada!

With people 35 and younger making up just 9% of Canada’s farmers, new farmers need support more than ever! Your gift will help Young Agrarians to grow the next generation of farmers through community building, educational and networking events, business mentorships, land access programming, and on-farm apprenticeships. Your donation is an investment in the renewal and revitalization of ecological and regenerative agriculture in Canada today. 

Canada needs a new generation of thriving, viable, ecological farmers. 

Ecological farmers help our communities and planet by...

• Growing good, clean, fair food
• Keeping our air, water, and soil safe with better farming practices 
• Preserving biodiversity 
• Mitigating climate change and increasing the resilience of agriculture to its impacts

It’s not just Canadians and local communities who benefit from ecological farming. Globally, societies are being called on to do all they can to reduce emissions and pioneer practices that can help lessen the impact of climate change. Ecological farmers play an important role in the future health and well-being of our planet. Unfortunately, farmers represent less than 1.6% of the population in Canada and that number is shrinking; young farmers 35 and under represent only 9% of that number. 

The fact is that it's hard to grow new farmers. New farmers often face barriers to entering the farming industry like gaining access to land, business knowledge, and experience. 

That’s why Young Agrarians is dedicated to providing the support, mentorship, and community new and young ecological farmers need to succeed. 

Help us grow more new and young land stewards, farmers, and food lovers in Canada!

Our main programs are:

1) Online sector development promoting agriculture: aggregating and driving traffic to resources and opportunities in the sector;

2) Year round educational and networking events on and off farms, to overcome rural isolation, transfer knowledge and information, and create spaces for collaboration;

3) Business mentorships to increase farm viability in start-up; 

4) Land Matching to develop secure land access opportunities for new farm businesses to grow; and, 

5) Apprenticeship training program to provide experiential learning opportunities on farms.

Our long term vision is to increase the number of new, viable and ecological farms in Canada. 

Impact To Date

Since beginning in 2012, YA is now the largest potential, new and young farmer network in Canada.

In 2020, YA worked with approximately 1400 farmers representing 850 farms, to access education, land, mentorship, training, business support, and community networks. YA collaborated with over 200 food and farm organizations, facilitated 4142 acres of matched land, connected with over 500 landowners, coordinated 42 events, and posted 115 jobs and apprenticeships on-line. We are working to increase local food resilience across Western Canada, to grow a new generation of ecological farmers.

Online Community Building: There are over 40,000 people in our vibrant online community sharing knowledge, making connections & accessing resources year-round through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Our popular blog and U-MAP resources average over 15,000 users per month. 

Educational Events: YA has hosted over 300 educational and networking events across Canada, representing approximately 13,200 participants and 6420 volunteer hours.

BC Business Mentorship: The B.C. Business Mentorship Network has facilitated 78 farm mentorships (total 112 mentees) on average increasing land in production by 55%, farm revenues by 67%, and volume of food produced by 82%.

BC Land Matching Program: The B.C. Land Matching Program has matched 6,150+ acres of land supporting 145 new farms to get started, with many more acres currently in negotiation. 

Alberta Apprenticeship Program: The Alberta Apprenticeship Program has coordinated 30 apprenticeships on 21 host farms. 

Support new and young farmers across Canada today!