Many people living in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities face significant barriers to accessing healthy, local food. At the same time, these regions are often home to rich food traditions, thriving ecosystems, and deep community knowledge that have sustained people for generations. Our Food Systems program builds on the groundswell of food work already underway by local organizations. We bring our research, fundraising, facilitation, and harvesting skills to food systems projects on land and at sea. In partnership with First Nations communities, local schools, social change organizations, and municipalities, we are contributing to collaborative, sustainable, and innovative local food economies supported by regional food production and vibrant marketplaces.
The challenge
How can rural, remote, and Indigenous communities across Canada rebuild local food systems after generations of disruption? Places like Prince Rupert — a remote city of 14,000 residents on BC’s north coast — have seen colonial policies and externally driven resource extraction erode rich food traditions and cultural connections to the land and sea. These same forces have left lasting economic consequences — high costs and fragile supply chains limit access to healthy, culturally appropriate food. In northern BC, 1 in 6 households experience food insecurity, and child poverty rates reach 25.9% (versus 16.7% provincially), while the majority of locally harvested seafood is exported out of the region.
Over the next five years, our partnerships will prove the possible by:
- Establishing the North Coast Food Hub, a school-centred system that integrates food production – from greenhouses, mariculture, and fisheries – with programming, distribution networks, and a community marketplace, while strengthening regional food governance and supporting the local economy.
- Supporting Indigenous-led visioning for BC’s emerging seaweed farming sector through community-driven planning and advancing Indigenous data governance in seaweed monitoring and management.
“Our vision for the [ocean] farm is a small, self-sustaining operation that keeps our members working out on the water. Ecotrust Canada is helping us make that a reality by fundraising, supporting the operation, and just doing what needs to be done on the ground with our team.” — Ryan Leighton, Director of Operations, Metlakatla Development Corporation
Why Ecotrust Canada
Ecotrust Canada draws on over 30 years of place-based economic initiatives with rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. We leverage diverse funding sources, provide in-kind staff support, and co-create pathways for projects that might not otherwise get off the ground. Our community partners drive our work, and their success is our first priority.
The Food Systems program grew out of years of research and community engagement through the North Coast Innovation Lab (2017-2020), where we identified critical gaps in local supply chains and an urgent need for fresh, reliable local food. Since then, our research and community partnerships have continued to evolve — through urban farming and regenerative mariculture projects, we have built strong relationships, practical business models, and deep local expertise, all of which work toward a more resilient food economy on BC’s North Coast and beyond.
How to support us
If you’re on the North Coast of BC or getting into the mariculture community, look for us at events or reach out to one of our Food Systems team members.
We have a lot planned for 2026. Please donate to help our developing marine and land-based food programs.
Stories
- What to Grow on BC’s North Coast: The Food Hub’s Plant Picks
- Sharing the Harvest: Dianne and the North Coast Food Hub
- Your Guide to Regenerative Ocean Farming in Northern BC
- A year on a regenerative kelp farm in northern BC
- Seaweed — a sustainable, renewable fertilizer source found locally in Northwest BC
- Why we need to farm the ocean for kelp and shellfish
- Introducing the first seed library for rainy North Coast growers
- Composting: The greens, the browns, and the nutrients
Research
- Results from the Reimaging Food Systems project in Prince Rupert, BC (2024)
- Northwest Food Systems Initiative: Lessons Learned (2023)
- NCIL: Restorative Ocean Farming Project (2020)
- NCIL: Exploring restorative ocean farming (2019)
The Team
Celine Trojand, Food Systems Director
Mary Williams, Assistant Director
Dianne Villesèche, Community Food Systems Innovation Program Manager
Connor Speer, Project Manager, Coastal Food Systems
Chelsey Wingfield, Greenhouse Coordinator