Bananas, limes and tea grown in Mattagami: One First Nation's work toward food sovereignty
Community to run a greenhouse experiment in coming months as part of wider local supply project
Nestled between Sudbury and Timmins, Mattagami First Nation doesn't have many options when it comes to grocery shopping.
Most community members have to travel for an hour on the highway to get fresh produce.
But there are several initiatives under way to try and change that — the latest of which involves some $100,000 in funding from the provincial government to run a greenhouse in the community.
It's all part of a wider project called Miikogi, or "It grows well" in Anishnaabemowin. The goal is to boost the local food supply and provide employment opportunities for people interested in helping manage hydroponics, indoor growing spaces, outdoor gardens and sales.
Food sovereignty within reach, according to project co-ordinator
Project lead Ava Rentelis says that in the coming months, Mattagami First Nation members will try to see what they can grow in the new dome greenhouse facility.
"It'll be a bit of an experiment to see exactly what does well and what doesn't," she said. "But because it'll be a controlled environment, we have a good idea of what will thrive in there."
Rentelis says the community is planning to buy seeds for citrus, banana, papaya, pineapple, olive, dragon fruit and eucalyptus plants.
"Basically all kinds of stuff you wouldn't be able to find locally," she said.
In 2024, Mattagami First Nation revitalized its community garden program and grew over 600 pounds of produce from 100 different plant varieties.
Rentelis says food sovereignty is within reach, given the small population of the First Nation.
"There's 200 people living in the community. It's not a huge amount of people, but also, it's not a tiny amount. It's achievable to be able to grow our own food with the space we have."
Other aspects of the food sovereignty program include hydroponics, a meat and fish processing facility and a composting system.
Ultimate goal is to grow more than what the community needs
It may still take some time to put those initiatives in place, but Rentelis says so far the community has been successful in securing support from the private sector, in addition to the provincial and federal governments.
She says the ultimate goal is to grow more than what the community needs and be able to sell to neighbouring communities.
Mattagami First Nation's efforts are part of a wider move toward establishing local supply chains in Indigenous communities that are located further away from major urban centres.
For example, Niigaaniin, the social services branch of the North Shore Tribal Council — which serves eight First Nations between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie — recently bought 12 greenhouses near Thessalon to experiment with growing food locally.