ACFS Agricultural Training & Incubation Program
Food is more than what we eat. It connects us to culture, community, land, livelihoods, and the traditions we carry with us around the globe.
Onemhinye Florence Okumoh — Project Coordinator
Food is more than what we eat. It connects us to culture, community, land, livelihoods, and the traditions we carry with us around the globe.
For many people of African descent living in British Columbia, accessing affordable, culturally appropriate food and finding meaningful opportunities to participate in agriculture can be challenging.
Many newcomers arrive in Canada with valuable agricultural knowledge and farming experience. However, putting that experience into practice in a new country can come with significant barriers, including access to land, capital, training, equipment, markets, and knowledge of British Columbia’s agricultural system.
The African-Canadian Farmers Society (ACFS) is working to help bridge these gaps through its Agricultural Training & Incubation Program, an initiative designed to support Black individuals interested in agriculture and food production in British Columbia.
Based in Surrey, B.C., ACFS brings together Black farmers with roots in East and West Africa who are engaged in sustainable and chemical-free crop production.
Through this program, the Society is creating opportunities for participants to develop practical agricultural skills, build connections, and gain experience within the Canadian farming environment.
The program is made possible with support from the Foundation for Black Communities through the National Food Systems Initiative.
Why this Program Matters
ACFS envisions communities that are better nourished, more food secure, and increasingly able to participate in the agricultural systems that affect them.
Agricultural knowledge does not disappear when someone moves to a new country. Many people of African descent bring generations of farming experience, knowledge of crops, food traditions, and practical skills with them. However, transferring that knowledge to the Canadian agricultural environment is not always straightforward. Different growing conditions, farming practices, regulations, market systems, and access to resources can make it difficult for newcomers to establish themselves in agriculture.
The Agricultural Training & Incubation Program is being developed in response to these interconnected challenges. It recognizes the knowledge participants may already possess while creating opportunities for them to adapt, strengthen, and apply that knowledge within the British Columbia context.
Our vision is simple:
We want to help people grow food, but we also want to help grow farmers.
Monsuru Adisa — Project Administration
Our vision is simple:
We want to help people grow food, but we also want to help grow farmers.
Growing Food.
Growing Farmers.
Learning by Doing: ACFS Training Approach
The Agricultural Training & Incubation Program combines hands-on farm experience, classroom-style learning, mentorship, and educational farm tours to give participants exposure to different aspects of agriculture in British Columbia. The program is intended for Black individuals interested in food production, including youth, newcomers, members of urban Black communities, and intergenerational farmers seeking mentorship, connections, and practical support to pursue opportunities in agriculture.
Training takes place across an approximately eight-month growing season. Participants will be allotted individual plots where they can grow crops of their choice, giving them hands-on experience across the different stages of crop production from planting and crop management through to harvesting.
Participants will have opportunities to:
- Prepare land and soil for production;
- Plant, manage, and harvest crops;
- Learn about agricultural tools and farm equipment;
- Participate in educational visits to organic farms in British Columbia;
- Explore agricultural business planning and entrepreneurship;
- Learn about different pathways for bringing agricultural products to market; and
- Build connections with people and organizations within British Columbia's agricultural sector.
Rather than simply learning about agriculture in a classroom, participants will have opportunities to learn by doing.
Tackling Four Key Barriers to Agriculture
Training is important, but training alone cannot address every challenge facing an aspiring farmer. For this reason, the ACFS Agricultural Training & Incubation Program focuses on four interconnected areas that can influence a person’s ability to participate successfully in agriculture.
1. Access to Land
The program aims to help participants better understand and navigate pathways to accessing land, helping bridge an important gap between having agricultural knowledge and being able to put that knowledge into practice.
2. Access to Markets
Participants will gain exposure to different routes to market, including Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), farmers’ markets, local grocers serving multicultural communities, and community networks. This will help participants understand the journey from producing food on the farm to getting that food onto tables in the community.
3. Access to Tools and Technology
Through practical instruction, participants will be introduced to agricultural tools and farm machinery and gain experience using some of the equipment required in farming operations.
4. Access to Knowledge
Participants will learn from instructors, mentors, agricultural experts, farms they visit, their own practical experiences, and one another. Importantly, the program recognizes that agricultural knowledge already exists within Black and African communities. It therefore creates opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural knowledge exchange, where existing knowledge can be shared, tested, adapted, and strengthened.
ACFS also intends to work with educational institutions in British Columbia (University of British Columbia, University of the Fraser Valley, Kwantlen Polytechnic University among others) to create further opportunities for learning and knowledge exchange.
Growing Culturally Appropriate Food in British Columbia
One of the most exciting components of the program is exploring the potential for culturally relevant and African heritage crops to be grown successfully in British Columbia. The program will provide opportunities to experiment with crops and varieties such as African maize, jute, okra, leafy vegetables, onions, peppers, Irish potatoes, carrots, hibiscus, and watermelon, among others.
Through practical growing experience, participants will explore which crops perform well under Lower Mainland growing conditions, which may require adaptation, and which could have market potential.
Culturally appropriate food can provide an important connection to identity, family, community, and tradition. Increasing opportunities to grow these foods locally can help connect members of the Black community with familiar foods while creating new conversations about agriculture and food systems in British Columbia.
The Future of ACFS Program
For ACFS, the Agricultural Training & Incubation Program represents more than a one-time program.
It is an opportunity to begin building a stronger pathway into agriculture for Black individuals who are interested in farming in British Columbia and, ultimately, across Canada.
When people have greater access to land, knowledge, tools, markets, and community, agriculture can become a pathway to much more than food production.
Looking ahead, ACFS hopes to continue developing and refining agricultural training opportunities for youth, children, adults, newcomers, and aspiring farmers of different generations.
We also recognize that building a stronger and more inclusive agricultural community cannot be done by one organization alone.
ACFS welcomes opportunities to collaborate with educational institutions, agricultural organizations, community organizations, farmers, industry professionals, and other partners who share our interest in strengthening agricultural knowledge, food security, and community participation.
Our long-term vision is to help build a stronger community of Black farmers, improve access to culturally relevant food, and contribute to a more diverse, sustainable, and resilient food system in British Columbia.
The Project Team
Meet the ACFS Project Team
Onemhinye Florence Okumoh
Onemhinye Florence Okumoh is an agricultural entrepreneur, community leader, and advocate for sustainable food production and community empowerment. She is the co-founder of Daimant Farms in Nigeria, where she has been involved in sustainable food production and has supported others in establishing their own farming initiatives.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting, a Diploma in Education, an Advanced Diploma in Health and Social Work, an MBA, and a Master’s degree in Leadership in Healthcare from Trinity Western University.
Florence brings to the Agricultural Training and Incubation Program a valuable combination of practical farming experience, leadership, community development, and a strong commitment to empowering others to build sustainable livelihoods through agriculture.
Monsuru Adisa
Monsuru brings over 15 years of experience in internal audit, financial reporting, and compliance to ACFS, where he manages payroll, financial operations, and program reporting for the Agricultural Training & Incubation Program (ATIP) and affiliated entities. His background spans audit and compliance roles across the public and private sectors in Canada and internationally. He holds a Master of Science in Finance, a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Accounting from UBC, and is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). Monsuru is committed to sound financial stewardship in support of the farmers and communities ACFS serves.
Olumuyiwa Olurankinse
Olumuyiwa is an agricultural professional with an educational background in Crop Production and Protection and practical experience in farming and food production. His training has provided him with a strong foundation in crop production, crop protection, farm management practices, and sustainable approaches to agricultural production.
As the program's Community Worker/Food Security Connector, Olumuyiwa supports the connection between agricultural training, community engagement, and food security. He works to help participants translate their interests and existing agricultural knowledge into practical learning opportunities while strengthening connections between the program, participants, and the wider community.
Our Gallery
Our farm activities in action.
Our Funder
With Gratitude to Our Funder
The African-Canadian Farmers Society gratefully acknowledges the Foundation for Black Communities through the National Food Systems Initiative for supporting the launch of the Agricultural Training & Incubation Program.
This support is helping ACFS create opportunities for practical agricultural education, community knowledge exchange, and greater participation of Black communities in British Columbia’s food system.
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