Indigenous Food Forest program application deadline
The Indigenous Food Forest Program equips Indigenous farmers, growers and communities across Ontario with the funding, knowledge, and mentorship needed to design, establish, and care for resilient food forests that strengthen ecological health, food sovereignty, and cultural continuity.
What is a food forest? A food forest is a perennial growing system where food-producing trees, shrubs, herbs, and medicines grow together in layered relationships supported by healthy soil, water, wildlife, and people. Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island have long cultivated food forest systems as part of ongoing land stewardship and food cultivation practices that sustain both people and ecosystems. This program supports those living knowledge systems by resourcing Indigenous growers and communities to begin new food forest projects rooted in these ways of knowing and caring for the land. Food forests often include a mix of native species and cultivated garden varieties that are locally appropriate, culturally significant, and ecologically supportive. Each food forest is unique to its place and people, guided by local knowledge, community or family goals, and long-term stewardship.
If you are an Indigenous grower, farmer, or land steward interested in establishing a food forest and connecting with a knowledge-sharing community around food forest stewardship, apply today!
Application Deadline
Please complete and submit the application form by midnight on December 12th, 2025.
Successful applicants will be notified in early January 2026.
We are here to help! Please reach out to Rachel Lachance, Food Forest Program Manager, at rachel@efao.ca if you have any questions about completing the application form.
https://efao.ca/food-forests/
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