About the Tsq’escen Food Security Training Program

The Tsq’escen Food Security Training Program is a practical, skills-based learning initiative developed to support community members in building confidence, employable skills, and pathways into agriculture and related fields.

Delivered through an accessible online platform, the program combines foundational knowledge with real-world application, focusing on gardening, greenhouse operations, food harvesting, preservation, and local food systems. Training is designed to meet learners where they are—whether they are new to working with food or looking to build on existing experience.

This program is rooted in the understanding that food security is not just about access to food, but about building the skills and systems needed to produce, manage, and use food locally. Participants are guided through the full cycle of food—from planning and production to harvest, storage, and use—while developing transferable skills that support employment and long-term community capacity.

Through the RRIST program, this training also supports workforce development by introducing participants to potential career pathways in agriculture, food services, and land-based work. The goal is to create opportunities for individuals to move into meaningful roles, while strengthening local food systems and reducing reliance on external supply chains.

The Tsq’escen Food Security Training Program is designed to grow over time, adapting to community needs and creating a foundation for ongoing training, mentorship, and local leadership in food security initiatives.

Course Contents:

• Module 1: Introduction to Agriculture, Food & Gardening 101
  • Soil Health, Seeding & Transplanting
• Module 2: Tending the Garden
  • Daily & Weekly Plant Care
  • Pruning, Thinning, Staking, Weeding & Cultivation
• Module 3: Harvesting, Storage & Food Safety
  • Safe Handling, Washing & Packing Produce
• Module 4: Running a Farmers Market
  • Product Preparation, Sales, Customer Service & Compliance
• Module 5: Cold Storage Systems
  • Module 5A: Cold Storage 101
    • Temperature, Humidity, Airflow & Crop Storage Requirements
  • Module 5B: Pack Station & Cold Storage Build
    • Design, Layout, Construction & Workflow
  • Module 5C: Food Preservation 101
    • Foundations for Storing the Harvest
  • Module 5D: Choosing the Right Preservation Methods
    • Community Scale Planning, Labour, Energy & Safety
• Module 6a: Tractor Safety & Operator Training
• Module 6b: Tractor Implements & Field Preparation
• Module 7: Cover Cropping & Green Manures
• Module 8: Garlic, Winter Planting & Preparing for Winter
• Module 9: Intro to Animal Husbandry
  • Module 9a: Poultry 101
  • Module 9b: Pigs 101
  • Module 9c: Goats 101
• Module 11: Infrastructure & Farm Setup
  • Tools, Equipment, Layout & Basic Farm Systems
• Module 12: Workforce Training & Intern Programs
  • Training Systems, Work Plans & Skill Development
• Module 13: Community Food Systems & Engagement
  • Workshops, Food Access & Knowledge Transfer
• Module 14: Farm Operations & Program Management
  • Planning, Funding, Reporting & Scaling