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This research analyzes the resilience of Old Order Mennonite farmers that have migrated to northern Ontario for agricultural endeavours. Over the past fifteen years, Anabaptist farmers, including Old Order Mennonites, have moved to northern Ontario as raising land prices and limited land availability in southern Ontario has restricted their ability to purchase new land. Northern Ontario, with an abundance of productive, less expensive land, has proven to be an opportune location for many farmers. These farmers have increased access to local food, broadened the productive spectrum of crops and improved food security for many communities. Their economic and social impacts on northern communities has been significant, as has their impact on the broader farm community. While the Old Order Mennonite community has grown in northern Ontario, the factors of their resilience are unknown. This dissertation examined three Old Order Mennonite communities in northern Ontario, utilizing key informant interviews with community members, municipal representatives, provincial staff and non-Mennonite farmers in order to understand the agricultural resilience of Old Order Mennonites. The results demonstrated that agricultural diversification, as well as a strong sense of community and cultural convictions were important factors within their resilience. This research also found that transformation and decline, often viewed separately from resilience, did not weaken the communities but contributed to their resilience.

Poster was part of 'What We Know' display, held on March 1, 2017 at the Quebec Street Mall in Downtown Guelph. At 'What We Know,' the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute brought together 50 posters featuring diverse research on Guelph and Wellington from community organizations, municipal staff, faculty and students. Topics included feral cats, farmland loss, food waste, the wellbeing of children and more - all specific to Guelph and Wellington. Rural Ontario is in a constant state of change, as economic, environmental and political pressures impact the viability and resilience of many rural communities. Agricultural areas, in particular, are often negatively impacted by such changes, as this land may be more valuable for development purposes. Farmland is often converted to residential, commercial or aggregate land uses, significantly impacting the viability of the agricultural industry. However, the actual amount of farmland lost to non-farm land uses is not well-understood as no methodology to accurately measure this loss has been established. This research project evaluated official plan amendments between the years 2000-2014 to track planning decisions that remove agricultural land from production. This methodology has been applied to nine counties and regions across southern Ontario. However, the focus will be on the results from Wellington County, including the amount of farmland converted to non-farm land uses, trends related to these losses and a reflection on the impacts of planning policies on farmland loss. It is interesting to note that approximately 76% of Wellington County's land base has been calculated as census farms by Statistics Canada (2011). Regardless of this high proportion of farmland, residential development is expected to increase. As such, some farmland within Wellington County has been developed for non-farm land uses and much farmland is under threat of development.