Régénération Canada was spawned from a global movement. In 2017, our founder, Gabrielle Bastien, organized the first Living Soils Symposium to bring the burgeoning international regenerative movement home to Canada. Since then, our organization has been nourished and inspired by international organizations while mainly focusing on growing the movement with Canadian farmers. So we were quite surprised in 2023 when a farmer from Uganda contacted us and asked to become a member.
That was the beginning of my relationship with Edward Paul Munaaba, the founder and director of Edwards Hamlet, a regenerative demonstration centre in Busoga Kingdom of Uganda. This summer, I had the privilege of getting to know him better when he visited Canada and spent a week with me, visiting regenerative farms in my area.
Edward had been the Executive Director of the Africa Partnership on Climate Change Coalition in Tanzania before returning to his native Uganda to set up a centre to help African farmers learn regenerative, climate-resilient farming. He shared that he wanted to move from activism to leading change by example.
Unlike North America, much of Africa’s population is involved in food production, mainly as smallholder subsistence farmers. Like everywhere else, they struggle to cope with droughts and extreme rainfall events, among the many other challenges of making a living from agriculture.
Connecting Across Continents
Edward found Regeneration Canada’s website while searching for resources on regenerative agriculture. Before we met him, he had been studying our Farm Map, delving into the page for each farm on the map to study them one by one. He may be the person who has used the resources on our website most extensively.
He and I connected on WhatsApp and started communicating regularly. He mentioned that he would be speaking at a conference in Toronto in July and suggested that I could drop by and meet him. When I informed him that Toronto was not that close to where I am in southern Quebec, he secured an invitation for me to speak at the conference as well. This led to my delivering a keynote presentation titled “Carbon, Water + Biodiversity: For climate resilience and food security.” Together, we also participated in a panel discussion on pressing environmental issues. Inspired by our collaboration, I invited Edward to accompany me back to Quebec to explore the farming practices in my region.
Because the farms in Africa are generally small, I chose a selection of farms that might be relevant to his work in Uganda. At Edwards Hamlet Regeneration Centre, they grow coffee as a cash crop, as well as vegetables and fruit. They have pineapples, jackfruit, bananas, and tropical apples from South Africa. Pisciculture in small ponds is a recent experiment that combines water security with fish production.
Many groups of farmers visit regularly to learn about the potential of regenerative agriculture. He has managed to rebuild the soil from a pale red to a darker colour by increasing the soil’s organic matter. While Edward was at my place, he hosted virtual tours of my garden for groups of his family, colleagues, and friends, who were curious to see what growing in Quebec looks like.
Farm Visits in Quebec
Small-Scale Organic Farming at La Grelinette
Our first farm visit was to Maude Hélène Desroche’s farm, La Grelinette, a small but very productive organic farm selling to restaurants and CSA subscribers. La Grelinette has a very well-organized production system using low-tech specialized equipment, such as occultation tarps and heavy-duty plastic tarps used to terminate cover crops by blocking out the light.
The farm hosts many interns who come to learn their methods. Edward was particularly interested in their accommodations for the workers, as he plans to set up some lodging for visitors to the Hamlet. Maude Hélène has small individual huts in a charming spot in the woods for her interns, with an outdoor kitchen and lounge to prepare meals and hang out together during off-hours.
Clos Saragnat: Organic Orchard and Winery
Next, we visited Clos Saragnat, an organic orchard producing world-renowned specialty wines from apples and grapes. Owner Christian Bathomeuf, whose parents were winemakers from France, came to Quebec in 2008 and bought an abandoned farm. He was looking for apple varieties that could withstand the climate and did not require chemical intervention. He planted many varieties of rustic apples and left them to fend for themselves. If they didn’t do well, he cut them down. Christian’s orchard is wild and full of birds and insects, which he claims is his secret to healthy trees and good wine. He believes in non-intervention and letting the ecosystem take care of itself.
Oneka Farm: Aromatic Plants and Natural Products
The next farm on our list was Oneka, where Philippe Choinière, co-founder with his wife Stacey, guided us. Oneka Elements makes natural cosmetics, shampoos, and soaps from aromatic plants that they grow on the farm.
The farm was once his parents’ apple orchard. Philippe told us about how he grew up watching his parents work way too hard and being at the mercy of selling their perishable products to the commodity market. He vowed that he would rely on making a value-added product that he could brand and market to gain more control and a better price.
Edward loved the idea of value-added through transforming produce on the farm and started to think about aromatic plants back home and the recipes of traditional herbalists.
Philippe showed us how they ferment their apples into artisanal vinegars to macerate the herbs, dry the herbs on racks, and extract essential oils. The equipment and technology are simple and can be used for many years with low maintenance.
Ferme du Haut Vallon: Organic Apples, Garlic, and Pastured Lamb
Haut Vallon was our next visit. The farm produces organic apples, garlic and pasture-raised lamb. Our host, Pierre Jobin, explained that in order to be profitable, they have developed a short supply chain with few intermediaries between the farm and its customers.
Their other secret is to have a closed-loop system on the farm so that almost all the inputs needed for production come directly from the farm. They have developed their own forage system and use rotational grazing with their sheep. The fertility for the apples and garlic comes from the forage crops and the sheep.
Haut Vallon is a true family farm. In addition to their cash crops, they produce chicken, eggs, pork, and vegetables for their family and friends. The farm doesn’t make huge profits, but they have been able to sustain themselves for 20 years, enjoy a good quality of life, and are proud of their imprint on the land. Pierre’s daughter, Jasmine, is slowly taking over the farm with her partner.
Ferme de l’Odyssée: Large-Scale Regenerative Pumpkin Seed Production
Sebastien Angers’ farm, Ferme de l’Odyssée, stands out as the sole large-scale operation in our tour dedicated to regeneratively producing a variety of grains and pulses with machinery. Although Edward is unlikely to go into this type of production in Africa, I wanted him to meet Sebastien because they are both innovators. Sebastien describes his farm as a laboratory for regenerative innovation. Trained as an agronomist, he is constantly trying out new methods.
Recently, Sebastien developed a partnership with a company called Prana Foods. Prana produces snack mixes from nuts, seeds, and dried fruits, and is interested in moving towards more locally-sourced and regeneratively-produced ingredients. Sebastien is growing hulless seeded pumpkins to supply the company with pumpkin seeds. He is looking to create the perfect cover crop and crop rotation design to grow the pumpkins well and reliably.
As Sebastien explained to us, a farmer in Canada only gets one try per year with this type of crop, so it can take a long time to learn. That is why he is now looking to reduce the amount of land he uses on his farm and collaborate with a group of farmers in order to get multiple trials going in multiple locations as he builds up the supply chain for Prana and develops the perfect recipe for growing pumpkins.
Edward was impressed by Sebastien’s extensive collection of cover crop varieties.
He also took away the idea that the most profound learning comes from failure. Rather than being ashamed of one’s failures, we can learn a great deal from them. No innovation comes without multiple failures!
Patch Farm: Pasture-raised Livestock
Last but not least, we visited Patch Farm, a pivotal example of integrating animals in regenerative agriculture. Our host, Meagan Patch, gave us the tour. Patch Farm sells beef, chicken, pork, and eggs, all raised on pasture.
Operating with minimal infrastructure, Meagan employs mobile fencing and chicken tractors to manage her livestock. Most of the animals are raised in three seasons and slaughtered before the winter. The cattle overwinter by bale grazing. Meagan has been breeding her cows to favour hardy animals that are well-adapted to the Quebec climate.
Edward loved the simplicity of her operation. He also loved the on-farm boutique. The theme of fair pricing for the farmer through direct sales or shorter supply chains was something we talked about a lot during these visits. At one point, we went into a store where they were selling 500-gram bags of coffee for $17.75, starkly contrasting with the $1.50 per kg Edward receives for his coffee back home.
Nurturing a Global Movement
Edward returned to his home in Uganda with many ideas and new friends. He is eager to continue weaving connections between the global North and the global South, between East Africa and Canada. I was also nourished by our exchanges and got to learn so much about the African perspective. When we realize that we are one Earth and the challenges faced in one part of the planet contribute to the global condition that affects us all, it is inspiring to collaborate and share what we have learned. The Edwards Hamlet website is under construction but you should be able to get in touch with Edward through it soon. If you ever want to visit him in Uganda, you will be warmly welcomed.
