Donation launches Aboriginal program at U of S

Aboriginal people wanting to work in agriculture now have access to university training to help them land a job in the industry once they graduate.

A one million dollar donation by the Sprott Foundation was announced on Jan. 14 at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) that will go towards a new post-graduate diploma in ‘Aboriginal Agriculture and Land Management’. 

New funding also means the appointment of an Assistant Dean of Aboriginal Programs, David Natcher, a faculty member who has served since 2008 as the Director of the Indigenous Land Management Institute at the U of S.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of it and I think my appointment is a clear indication of the priority the college is putting in Aboriginal programs and research,” said Natcher.

In his new role, Natcher directly engages with Aboriginal leaders across the province and country to identify and develop opportunities related to Aboriginal agriculture and resource management.

He also helps to shape academic programming and further research initiatives.

“To make sure that the research we conduct is relevant, practical, and can inform the decisions that Aboriginal leaders need to know as they govern their lands,” Natcher said.

A large scaling Sask. farm operation, One Earth Farms, is also involved in the program to give hands-on experience to students and to hire some graduates once they finish.
Director for One Earth Farms, Don Ross, spoke on the relevance of the newly announced program to First Nations people and communities.

“The success of the students that are in this program, they’re going to be paving a path for our other students and other young people,” Ross said.

Ross said he encourages young First Nations people to get involved in all areas of the agriculture sector, positions range from combine operators to management at One Earth Farms.

The initial group of students started their coursework in January and will do some experiential work placements in the spring and summer. By September or Dec. they complete their course requirements for the one-year intensive program.

Three students in the program are Joanne Durocher of Beauval, Michelle Delorme of Muskeg Lake and Lorna Ross-Thiessen.

This year, Durocher is completing her Political Studies degree and decided to take the program after hearing someone speak about it in the U of S Commerce building.

“I’m really excited about the program,” Durocher said. “My dream is to work with Aboriginal People and with Lands and Management.”

“I think all of us are going into this program not knowing anything about Agriculture, which is a good thing. We all come from different fields of our education, and we’re put into this and we’re learning firsthand,” she added.

Michelle Delorme of Muskeg Lake said she took the program in the hopes of going into legal counsel for Agricultural Business, to be their in-house lawyer.

“I’m glad that the College of Agriculture and the University of Saskatchewan as a whole has kind of reached out to get more Aboriginal people involved in the agriculture industry,” Delorme said. “Because we have a huge land base obviously and with all the new TLE land we’re going to be getting I think it’s important to have this,” she added.

Lorna Ross-Thiessen said she likes the idea of not just being another worker on the farm but actually getting the chance to work in the management area and learning about the food processing industry.

Associate Professor and CIBC Chair on Agricultural Entrepreneurship, Tom Allen, said the post-graduate program was developed to address a need to build the human capacity of Aboriginals in the area of land management.

He said a 2004 international workshop held by the College of Agriculture and Bio-resources focused on some of the challenges and opportunities facing First Nations people in the area of effectively managing their lands.
“The overwhelming consensus was that Indigenous people want to regain sovereignty of their lands. And they want to manage the lands in a way that is economically, culturally, and socially acceptable by the people,” said Allen.

The program is offered through the department of Bio-resource Policy Business and Economics, and is primarily for Aboriginal students who have graduated with a Bachelor degree in a discipline other than Agriculture.

“The post-graduate diploma includes a mix of courses in four principal areas: Agriculture Business, Land Management, Indigenous Knowledge and Economic Development,” Allen added.

According to  a press release, the Sprott Foundation is a charitable trust that is active in addressing human needs, hunger, homelessness and other areas of interest that offer recipients the means to become self-sufficient.
The donation will support program development and provide bursaries to Aboriginal students in the program.

All photos: Christine Fiddler

Photo Captions:

Photo#1: Students in the Agriculture and Land Management program include Aboriginal students, clockwise left to right, Lori Buffalo-Deloronde, Michelle Delorme, Joanne Durocher, and Lorna Ross-Thiessen. Top right is instructor of Crop Production Systems Terry Tollefson. See full story on page 6.

Photo#2: At a Jan. 14 press conference at the University of Saskatchewan, university officials announced a $1 million dollar donation from the Sprott Foundation to the College of Agriculture and Bioresources as well as the appointment of a new assistant dean of Aboriginal programs and research, David Natcher, pictured at podium.