Kanenhiio Ionkwaiontonhakie Holds First Farmers Market

Kanenhiio Ionkwaiontonhakie held its first Farmer’s Market on Sunday, July 9, 2013, and despite the rainy weather, the organizers and founders of Kanenhiio Ionkwaiontonhakie are optimistic about the future of the Farmer’s Market and its gardens that produce all organically grown crops. Kanenhiio Ionkwaiontonhakie was started with the intention of becoming food sovereign. “Food sovereignty” is a term coined by members of Via Campesina in 1996, this asserts the right of people to define their own food systems. Advocates of food sovereignty put the individuals who produce, distribute and consume food at the center of decisions on food systems and policies, rather than the corporations and market institutions they believe have come to dominate the global food system.

During the month of June, the group had held a movie series to help frame the perspective of growing and preserving your own food, the health benefits and how all of this is incredibly important without current climate changes.

Many of us remember growing up with gardens and rows and rows of corn, beans and squash, and many, many other variety of vegetables. The families were big and the gardens were bigger. Cans of vegetables were stored in the basement and no one worried about GMO, additives, pesticides, PCB’s, hormones and an unending list of unhealthy and completely unneeded additives found in groceries stores today. Many people have become disconnected with “food”, not knowing where their food comes from, other than the “store” and what is in their food. Flo Anne Benedict and her husband Mark have made a commitment to growing from seed to table ready to eat organically grown food. Now with the opening of the Farmer’s Market the organically grown food can go from local market to your table. The Benedicts, Perkins and Sargents have generations of practice and knowledge on growing their own garden and they are eager to share this information with anyone interested in becoming “food sustainable”. Benedict remarked, “We are at the mercy of the weather, more so now than ever before. I really believe this is the direct effect of the climate change – heavy rainstorms then extreme heat. We need to adapt to survive. We plant using traditional methods but we welcome time and energy saving methods as well. We need to be in control of our own food. We need to be able to sustain ourselves. If you can sustain yourself, you can sustain your people.”

An early morning walk through the garden is proof of their hard work; rows of lettuce, snap peas, peppers, Swiss chard, kale, beets, and more can be found in abundance. Beside a group garden, families and individuals have their own gardens to tend to. The group also works on saving seeds, planting from seeds in their greenhouse and in the fall will present work shops on preserving food. Cornell Co-operative Extension has provided help in hosting workshops; as well, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Transfer Station has provided mulch, essential in helping to control unwanted weeds.

Several local programs use the gardens for a variety of reasons; as a quiet way to work and counsel, starting and finishing a project, understanding your health and your food source, and of course – learning to work as a team member. The Akwesasne Attack girl’s lacrosse team works the gardens as a way to give back to the Akwesasne Community for supporting their endeavors. The Intensive Preventative Program also uses the gardens for their clients. Traditionally and historically, gardens were so large, covering acres, that working as a team was essential to the success of the garden. And it wasn’t so long ago that many people in Akwesasne were brought up the same way, growing their own gardens and raising their own meat. In an age where we cannot pronounce many ingredients found in food in grocery stores and the weather has become increasingly harsh, it has become important to return back to the garden and once again become “Food Sovereign”.

Kanenhiio Ionkwaiontonhakie welcomes newcomers to their group; the only requirement is to have a generous mix of desire, commitment; the desire to grow healthy, organic vegetables, and the commitment to tend to the garden(s). You can reach Kanenhiio on Facebook or at 315 705 7165.