SASKATOON — The Cowessess First Nation has partnered with Saskatoon-based B-Nature Biotech to build a rapid composting facility and a greenhouse in their community. They are hoping the project, which aims to promote responsible farming methods, will be fully operational in 2027.
CFN Councillor Terry Lerat, who is also the ReconciliAG advisor to the National Circle for Indigenous Agriculture & Food, said their vision is to be a model of sustainable agriculture for Indigenous communities in the country.
He hopes the concept could eventually expand beyond small community gardens and support broader agricultural use. Compost-based soil helps rebuild farmland and strengthen both food production and environmental sustainability.
Lerat, who is a fifth-generation farmer whose family’s agricultural history dates to the 17th century, added that the project will also promote care for the soil, as compost fertilizer from food waste collected would help protect the environment and ensure the future of food production
“Fertilizers over time never replace the amount of nutrients, trace minerals and organisms we pull out of the soil. The soil never rebuilds fast enough to replace them. Compost works differently by restoring biological life to the land,” Lerat told SaskToday during the Indigenous Business Gathering on Wednesday, March 4, at Prairieland Park.
“By adding organic matter and microorganisms back into the land, compost can help regenerate soil more quickly and naturally than conventional fertilizers alone. Soil health is not simply an agricultural concern but a broader environmental issue tied to the survival of all living things.”
He added that the importance of soil in the environment is often overlooked, despite its role in sustaining ecosystems and food systems around the world, and that the land is fundamental not only to humans but to all life on the planet.
“If we keep using the soil and the land the way we are today, without putting back what we take out, eventually we’re going to face serious consequences,” said Lerat, who traces his roots to a farmer known as Blackbuck, who began farming in 1600s after purchasing seed potatoes from Brandon House, a historic trading post in what is now Manitoba province.
As both a farmer and community leader, Lerat believes the project represents an opportunity to restore the health of the land by returning organic matter to the soil through composting, adding that modern agriculture’s reliance on synthetic fertilizers has gradually weakened soil because those products primarily feed crops rather than rebuilding the soil ecosystem itself.
He hopes the initiative will begin in First Nations communities and eventually expand across the country. He believes Indigenous communities can play a leadership role in promoting land stewardship rooted in respect for nature and “Mother Earth,” values he says are central to many First Nations teachings.
The project also aims to strengthen food sustainability by creating a circular system where food waste is turned into compost and returned to the soil to grow more food. Lerat said that the closed-loop approach helps communities reduce waste while improving local food production.
“It means food sustainability. We grow our own food, and the waste goes back into the soil as compost to grow more food again. The project also has an educational component, since we plan to build the greenhouse near the community school to allow students to learn firsthand about food production, composting and environmental stewardship,” said Lerat.
“Children could grow vegetables for school lunch programs while seeing how compost enriches the soil that supports their crops. Teaching younger generations about soil care is critical to building long-term environmental responsibility. We would like to see the project begin soon, but the priority is implementing it carefully. It would be nice to see it fully operational by 2027.
Broader structure with B-Nature
B-Nature Biotech Business Development Director Raj Bahari said the project is a federally supported circular food loop developed through partnerships with PrairiesCan, Cowessess Ventures Limited, and the Cowessess community. Environmental engineer Dr. Babak Roshani founded B-Nature.
“The aim is to create a closed-loop system that converts local food waste into compost and year-round food production. The process begins with collecting food waste within the community. Waste is placed in bear-proof metal bins manufactured by Pro Metal, another Indigenous company in Regina, and transported to a centralized composting facility within the Cowessess First Nation,” said Bahari.
“The core of the system is a large, insulated sea container housing an aerobic composter. While traditional composting can take up to 150 days and depends heavily on weather conditions, B-Nature’s system completes active composting in just five days. The insulated container retains heat generated by microbes, allowing it to function even in extreme winter temperatures.”
He added that after the initial five-day process, the compost cures for several weeks before being transferred to the greenhouse, which is powered in part by solar panels, thereby supporting year-round food production. The compost can also be applied to nearby farmland, extending the benefits beyond the greenhouse.
Bahari said the project reduces the need to haul garbage out of rural communities, since it can be processed there rather than transporting compostable waste elsewhere, thus speeding up the process of turning organic material into valuable fertilizer.
He added that the initiative will lead to the creation of an Indigenous-owned organic company that helps other communities and food processors adopt similar composting systems, thus creating jobs, technical expertise and new food-based businesses while strengthening environmental stewardship.
