The Northern Manitoba Food, Culture and Community Collaborative (NMFCCC) is a collaborative of people from northern communities, northern advisors, funders and organizations working together to foster healthier and stronger communities in northern Manitoba through improved access to healthy foods and resilient local economies. Neighbourhood gardens and farms, wild food programs, bee apiaries, fishing co-operatives and greenhouses are just some of the ways in which northerners are using food to build community, improve health, create opportunity for youth and strengthen local economies.

In addition to partnering financially with communities to create sustained change, a key component of the NMFCCC is the shared learning experience that it affords. Organizations; northern advisors; a network of supporters in Manitoba and across the country; and the grantees to the Collaborative benefit by increasing their understanding of, and capacity to work with, northern communities and Indigenous cultures.

The Centre has been a part of this collaborative effort since 2017, supporting community-led food security projects and planning across Manitoba’s north. We have also supported NMFCCC to capture learning and explore how specific projects may be scaled, as well as providing support and examples for other First Nations regions as they seek to better align funders and advance Indigenous food sovereignty.