Cultivating Local

Seizing Opportunities to Grow Ontario’s Local Agri-Products Sector

Thinking about selling direct to consumer and wondering how to get started? Check out the workshops below to help kick off your local food, agritourism or value-added venture.

Cultivating Local Workshop Series

In response to demand and growing interest in seizing local selling opportunities, OFA’s Cultivating Local: Seizing Opportunities to Grow Ontario’s Local Agri-Products Sector project will host nine (9) online workshops from November 2024 to February 2025 to provide key experts and resources for producers and prospective producers to learn more about the opportunities to sell in-demand products direct to consumer in Ontario.

Thursdays from November 2024 to February 2025
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Registration is free. Please click on the visuals below to register for each workshop.

Cultivating Local Workshops

Market Trends and In-Demand Local Products in Ontario

Getting Started in Value-Added Agriculture, Food and Beverage

Selling at Farmers’ Markets

Selling to Restaurants and Institutions

Selling Online and Leveraging Social Media Platforms

Labelling and Attributes: Organic, Free Range, Gluten-Free and more

Exploring Agritourism Opportunities

Selling Local in Rural and Remote Ontario

Beyond Food: Textiles, Ornamental Horticulture & More

Thank you to our partners

OFA is working alongside many collaborative partners to ensure the success of this project. With 30 agricultural and commodity organizations partnering alongside OFA, organizations such as Farm Fresh Ontario, Farmers’ Markets Ontario, and others will help ensure we have expert speakers and resources that support the diversity of all farmers and prospective farmers looking to sell local products direct to consumers.

Cultivating Local Survey

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture conducted a survey to better understand the needs of current and prospective Ontario farmers interested in, or already engaged in, local selling opportunities. We will use the findings from the survey to inform the workshops and resources we are developing. The survey closed on September 16, 2024. Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey.