Deep Roots Food Hub (DRFH) is a federally chartered Canadian Not for Profit Corporation, which is also provincially chartered in Ontario.  Active since 2018, it has evolved into an organization believing that the global agri-food system needs a major transformation, ending a nearly 200 yearlong era of ecological destruction and, unfair and unhealthy food production and distribution. 
 
The vision of DRFH is “Sustainable Local Food Systems Everywhere” (SLFSE)
 
“Sustainable” meaning:

• Growing food for people, not livestock
• Using regenerative agriculture techniques to sequester carbon in comparatively massive amounts, and to make healthy plant-rich diets possible
• Using only a fraction of the land area currently required for industrial agriculture 

 
“Local” meaning: 

• The bulk of food consumed is grown locally, respecting the local climate, soil conditions and cultures
• Food that is desirable, yet which cannot be grown locally, is imported from the closest and most sustainable source possible 
• Consumers are local and geographically defined 

 
“Food Systems” meaning:

• Designing sustainable, self-sufficient, local circular food economies that include growing, storage and preservation, marketing and distribution, elimination of waste, consumer education, and solidarity initiatives ensuring that everyone can enjoy a healthy diet. 

 
“Everywhere” meaning:

• Replicating SLFSs globally is an essential part of a strategy to reverse climate change 
• SLFSs are a necessary yet attractive alternative to the currently dominant industrial agriculture and agri-food systems

 
 
The Next Six Years:
The short-term goal is to create a SLFS prototype centered on Carp with the capacity to feed 3000 people by 2031.  Once created and tested, we would scale this prototype up, then replicate it globally as quickly as possible.  We believe that overall success in reversing climate change would be impossible without this kind of agricultural revolution.  
 
Building on an exploration of food insecurity at individual and global scales, the construction and testing of an off-grid root cellar capable of storing 70,000 lbs of root vegetables, and trials of small-scale regenerative growing, DRFH has launched a 10-acre experimental medium-scale regenerative agriculture trial.  The year 2025 was the “set-up” year for 2026, when we expect to grow about 100,000 pounds of food on our experimental plots, ramping up to the several million pounds on about 750 acres with the capacity to feed 3000 people by 2031.  
 
The business plan features the following major aspects:

• Regenerative techniques, focussing on sustainability, soil health, and carbon sequestration
• Growing directly for humans, not livestock
• Growing as much locally as possible
• Importing other regeneratively grown foods and spices as needed
• Systematic approaches – a complete local food economy that includes growing, storage and preservation, distribution, marketing, consumer education and support, solidarity measures, and minimal waste. 
• Scaling the SLFS prototype up to achieve maximum economies of scale
• Replicating the model globally through multiple For-Profit corporations which are closely linked to the DRFH Not for Profit Corporation

 
DR. Barry Bruce, Chair, DRFH