Strengthening Indigenous wild rice supply chain
CAPACITY BUILDING PRIORITY
Infrastructure
PROJECT TIMELINE
December 2021 to March 2023
PROJECT STATUS
Fund I: Complete
TOTAL INVESTMENT
$10,723,162.91
Consortia Contribution
$7,073,162.91
Cluster Contribution
$3,650,000.00
Partners
Myera Nu-agri-nomics Group Canada Inc.
Southeast Resource Development Council
Goal
Create a consistent cultivated wild rice supply chain within Indigenous communities.
Project Summary
Through this project, the partners utilized plant breeding to identify the best wild, high-protein rice varieties to be grown in the prairies; assessed Indigenous communities to determine which have a viable economic fit to grow this crop; trained Indigenous communities on growing wild rice; commercialized the crop through partners; and tested/developed recipes for the use of wild rice in Indigenous Foods.
Results and Impact
- This project was Indigenous-led and built around Indigenous needs, culture and traditions. Indigenous leaders, elders and healers informed their learning of the central role of wild rice in the community and culture, and Indigenous youth were at the centre of Myera’s capacity building activities. The VR training module demonstration engaged over 200 Indigenous youth and four Elders for feedback.
- Because of the project, the partners will be able to establish and scale up the Myera circular farm model in at least one Indigenous community in the next five years.
- Combined with a co-op farm in the south of Manitoba (near Winnipeg), and engagement with E-acres in Sparling, they will be growing wild rice for profit post-project.
- For Southeast Resource Development Council, this project and the combined revenue from inland fish with integrated wild rice will allow them to look again at the viability of community-based projects, which are critical for sovereign wealth creation and overall community health and wellbeing through employment, income, food security and cultural expression. The VR tools allowed the participants to imagine how inland fish farming combined with growing wild rice could help address food security and food sovereignty issues for communities.
- Academic trainees were exposed to capacity building in IP generation and business development, as well as Indigenous traditional knowledge and priorities.
