& the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative
Eminidowang Kiitigan (AHE-MEN-NI-DUH-WUNG KIT-AH-GAWN) – Spirit Garden for Everyone is located on a 17-acre farm that was generously gifted to us, serving as the foundation for a range of impactful endeavours.
It plays a significant role in enhancing local food security – assisting 400+ Indigenous families through our Spirit Bundle program – and environmental sustainability. We use the land to cultivate nourishing food and traditional medicines.
Beyond mere productivity, the farm serves as a communal crossroads — a junction where various agencies and organizations intersect, uniting Indigenous and non-Indigenous members alike. This collective endeavour operates under the overarching theme of reconciliation, cultivating connections that bridge divides and nurture shared understanding. Collaborative efforts involving groups of volunteers enable us to engage in activities like planting, nurturing and harvesting much needed crops, while also nurturing interpersonal connections and relationships. The farm provides an easily accessible opportunity to participate in reconciliation both individually and organizationally.
This farm holds a dual role as a training ground, aimed at addressing the challenges posed by the retirement of farmers. Our endeavour is to inspire Indigenous individuals to venture into the agricultural sector and uphold sustainable farming methodologies.
This larger goal encompasses the revival of the farming industry and lending support to the local economy while simultaneously helping Indigenous people to own and operate farmland. Furthermore, the farm has the potential to become a future training centre where we plan to educate aspiring construction workers and those interested in the restaurant industry. We are currently building an Indigenous farm school training curriculum in partnership with Manulife and universities.
Eminidowang Kitigaan is more than a farm. It burgeons as a sanctuary of interconnectedness, where nature and humanity commune in harmony through the achievement of reconciliation. It is a sustainable model for reconciliation that can be replicated across the country. It not only cultivates sustenance from the land but also nourishes the human spirit, sowing the seeds of empowerment, understanding and renewal for generations to come, ultimately leading to healing and prosperity.
Beekeeping
Tucked within the confines of the property are 12 well-established beehives, situated adjacent to the cultivated crops and the forested expanse which provides a cornucopia of hard -to -find traditional medicines.
One of our employees is collaborating with a local beekeeper to learn the science of apiculture, enhancing her skills in managing and maintaining a bee farm. We plan to build beekeeping into our farm curriculum to teach Indigenous individuals how to set up a bee farm.
In addition to being good for the environment, beekeeping offers a low-cost path to farm ownership. A prospective beekeeper can partner with a farmer so they do not need to own the land on which their hives sit. The farmers benefit from having bees on their fields and the beekeeper benefits from not owning the farmland.
Beekeeping gives people an opportunity to earn income by harvesting and selling honey, and it can turn into a profitable business.
Visiting the farm
The farm is conveniently situated close to Woodland Christian High School at 1160 Spitzig Road, Woolwich, ON, N0B 1M0 – in the north end of Kitchener just off Hwy 7. There’s parking available at the school.
Volunteers are advised to bring along gardening necessities such as sunscreen, gardening gloves, water, snacks, comfortable attire and sneakers.
