Training
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- Thinking about starting your own farm but not sure where to begin?
- Want to work on a farm but don’t know how to connect?
- Are you an existing Farmer but new to this region?
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Your farming journey starts here — build knowledge, skills, and community.
We offer a 5-part farmer training series available in 3 languages (English, French and Arabic) on topics including:
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- Marketing
- Farm Finances
- Business Planning
- Crop planning
- Access to land
- Access to funding
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We also offer:
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- Start-Up Farm Program at the Just Food Community Farm- Providing an opportunity for access to land, equipment and practical experiences with mentorship, on an Ottawa-based incubator farm. To participate in this program, you must complete our Farmer Training Series.
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- New Roots – Opportunity for First and Second Generation New Canadians to participate in Farmer Training Series free of charge (thanks to funding from the City of Ottawa Community Economic Development Department). New Roots also includes a Farm Match Program for mentors and mentees.
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Training Schedule
These training opportunities are open to all participants looking to enhance and build skills.
Training in English was offered Fall 2025 – stay tuned for 2026 dates to come.
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Calendrier pour les sessions en français Mardi 3 février 2026 |
:جدول ورش العمل باللغة العربية السبت ٢٨ آذار |
Lease Reviews – ongoing
Just Food has years of experience interpreting and negotiating farm leases. If you are thinking of entering into a lease agreement for farmland in the region, contact farm@justfood.ca to set up your review.
Past Training Opportunities
Interested to learn more about what we previously offered for Start Up Farm Training?
Just Food has been offering ongoing training opportunities since 2005. Here is a small selection of what we have offered in the past:
Greenhouse Training
Just Food has previously offered this training, and is working on scheduling more for the future – keep your eyes on the Farmer Newsletter for word on the next series. The Greenhouse Online Intensive training sessions are amongst our most popular.
In 2021 Just Food began the Greenhouse online training series, offering a 2-session intensive workshop for those looking to learn greenhouse production of organic seedlings—led by Sophie Clark of Trout Lily Organic Seedlings.
In 2022 Sophie was joined by Michaela Cruz of Healing Hands Farm.
In 2023 we had our first hybrid Greenhouse Training Intensive course, with Mat Levinson of Slow Roots Farm leading online and in-person sessions in the greenhouse at the Just Food Community Farm.
CSA Training
Since 2005, and as part of the Start-up Farmer Training Series, Just Food has offered training on establishing your own CSA.
2022 Training Series
Training Series for New Canadian Farmers:
Vegetable Production
- Tuesday, May 31 (6-9 PM) – Online
Farm worker rights in Ontario - Thursday, June 2 (6-9 PM) – Online
Farm Safety - Sunday, June 5 (10AM-3:30PM) – In-person – Just Food Community Farm
Small-scale farm irrigation and equipment use - Tuesday, June 7 (6-9 PM) – Online
Organic certification and record-keeping - Thursday, June 9 (6-9 PM) – Online
Farm Business Planning (including CSA model) - Tuesday, June 14 (6-9 PM) – Online
Farm Planning (Financial, Ecological and Social), Investment Strategies and Funding - Thursday, June 16 (6-9 PM) – Online
Soil fertility through organic production practices - Monday, June 20 (6-9PM) – Online
Best practices for Starts and Transplanting, sourcing supplies (e.g. irrigation) - Thursday, June 23 (6-9 PM) – Online
Crop planning and production (includes organic record-keeping, planning for pest
control) - Thursday, June 30 (6-9 PM) – Online
Marketing, pricing and sales - Tuesday, July 5 (6-9 PM) – Online
Accessing Land; Land tenure agreements - Sunday, July 10 (9AM – 12PM) – In-person – Just Food Community Farm
Intensive vegetable production techniques (including pest control) and post-harvest handling
