Strengthening Land Through Shared Knowledge
June 30, 2025
The SAGE Project
The Soil and Agroecosystem (SAGE) Health Project, also known by its ceremonial name ē kanātahk askiy (“it is a clean earth” in ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ nēhiyawēwin), is a community-led initiative rooted in Indigenous leadership. It works with Indigenous peoples across the prairies to support community goals for agriculture, food sovereignty, and land stewardship through the sharing knowledge from both Indigenous and western scientific perspectives. SAGE's mission is to support Indigenous communities with knowledge of soil and agroecosystem focusing on soil health, agricultural beneficial management practices, food sovereignty, traditional plant medicines and foods, buffalo rematriation, and more! Guided by Indigenous values, SAGE envisions thriving agroecosystems that foster soil health, biodiversity and resilience to climate change.
SAGE partners directly with Indigenous communities across the prairies, offering education, capacity-building, and support tailored to local values, interests, and goals. Their work is deeply collaborative, community-first, and rooted in relationship-building.
The work of SAGE focuses on four interconnected pillars:
1. Production Agriculture & Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs)
- Host workshops, field tours, and webinars for Indigenous land managers and farmers.
- Promote BMPs adapted to prairie conditions, especially within the Black Soil Zone
- Support community-led land decisions
2. Buffalo Rematriation
- Lead land-based learning circles on buffalo ecology and rematriation as restoration and food sovereignty
- Host annual retreats where participants observe community-managed buffalo
- Engage communities at every stage of rematriation—many united by the Buffalo Treaty
3. Indigenous Food Sovereignty
- Revitalize traditional foodways through mentorship, seed saving, and pop-up workshops
- Support culturally significant food growing practices that benefit soil health
4. Soil Health Assessment and Monitoring
- Train communities in soil sampling, testing, and mapping techniques
- Inform land use decisions across all scales of agroecosystem management
Knowledge Sharing
SAGE works with communities through practical learning including:
- Field and Demonstration Tours
- Workshops
- Learning Circles
- Online sessions
- Learning on the land
- One-on-one mentorship
Why it Matters
The ē kanātahk askiy SAGE Project supports community-led work in soil health, food sovereignty, and land stewardship. Through workshops, mentorship, and land-based learning, SAGE helps Indigenous communities across the prairies share knowledge and strengthen agroecosystems. The work is shaped by each community's values and priorities, contributing to long-term goals in sustainable land management.
Connect with SAGE
Want to follow what SAGE is working on across the prairies? Sign up for the SAGE Project Newsletter
to receive updates about community-led learning, soil health, food sovereignty, buffalo rematriation, and more. You can also find SAGE on Facebook, Instagram
and LinkedIn
to learn about current initiatives and stay connected.