A Calgary meat company and a national Indigenous agriculture organisation have agreed a multi-year partnership to increase Indigenous participation across Canada's bison value chain, from raising the animals to processing and selling the meat.
Under a memorandum of understanding announced earlier this year, Noble Premium Bison and the National Circle for Indigenous Agriculture and Food (NCIAF) will support Indigenous bison production, producer education and mentoring, market development, procurement, value-added processing and new products. They also plan to work together on research, food security projects and domestic and export markets for Indigenous-produced bison.
NCIAF will connect the company with Indigenous communities, producers and businesses interested in the sector, while Noble Premium Bison, a woman-founded Canadian brand that supplies retail, food service and export buyers, brings its experience in production, processing and marketing.
"Our relationship with buffalo goes far beyond agriculture," said Kallie Wood, president and chief executive of NCIAF. She said the partnership can help Indigenous producers build capacity, reach markets and grow sustainable bison businesses while strengthening their cultural connection to the animal.
"There's a lot of opportunity to grow the Canadian bison industry, and Indigenous producers can be an important part of that growth," said Kelly Long, chief executive and co-founder of Noble Premium Bison.
The organisations point to a growing market: Indigenous-led businesses contribute more than 31 billion Canadian dollars a year to national GDP, according to the National Indigenous Economic Development Board, and Indigenous owners run more than 50,000 enterprises. Indigenous leaders have said reconciliation in agriculture means room for Indigenous farm voices, innovation and culturally important food systems.
The story was reported by Greg Price for the Manitoba Co-operator.
Photo: Baseball Bugs / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Source: Manitoba Co-operator
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