The CBFA Farmer Mental Well-being Initiative was created to support the emotional, mental, cultural, and community wellbeing of Black farmers, aspiring farmers, growers, agricultural workers, and food producers across Canada.
For many within Black, African, and Caribbean communities, conversations around mental health have often been difficult, private, or sometimes considered taboo. Many people were taught to simply stay strong, keep working, carry responsibilities quietly, and push through challenges without support. In farming communities especially, the pressures can be even greater. Long hours, financial stress, isolation, uncertainty, weather challenges, family responsibilities, and the emotional weight of building something sustainable can deeply affect wellbeing.
For Black farmers and aspiring Black farmers, there can also be additional layers connected to historical and ongoing experiences of exclusion, displacement, racism, lack of representation, barriers to land access, financial inequities, and the lasting impacts of generational trauma connected to agriculture and food systems. These realities can create emotional burdens that are not always openly discussed, yet they continue to affect individuals, families, and communities in meaningful ways.
We believe that caring for ourselves and each other is just as important as caring for the land.
This initiative was created to help open these conversations in a respectful, culturally sensitive, and community-based way. Our goal is not only to reduce stigma, but also to create safe and welcoming spaces where people feel seen, heard, supported, and connected. We understand that healing, wellness, and emotional support may look different across cultures, generations, faiths, and personal experiences. We approach this work with compassion, understanding, and respect for those differences.
Through webinars, community conversations, storytelling, peer support opportunities, educational resources, and partnerships with wellness professionals and community leaders, we hope to build a growing network of support for Black farmers and aspiring farmers across the country.
This is a pilot initiative, and it will continue to grow over time. New resources, events, recordings, community discussions, and support tools will be added on an ongoing basis as we listen to the needs of the community and continue learning together.
If you are struggling, feeling isolated, overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, or simply in need of connection and support, we encourage you to reach out to us. You do not have to navigate these challenges alone. While we are not a crisis or clinical mental health organization, we are committed to helping connect community members with supportive conversations, culturally relevant resources, and trusted networks of care wherever possible.
Whether you are an experienced farmer, someone dreaming of starting your agricultural journey, a youth exploring food sovereignty, or simply someone looking for support and connection, you are welcome here.
You are not alone in this journey.
Previous Webinars
Click on each poster below to view the associated presentation files.
Food as Safety: Belonging, Identity & Mental Well-being
Webinars & Events
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Reclaiming the Land: Reshaping the Narrative of Black Farming
Saturday June 27th, 2026 at 3pm PST. Register for this Zoom based webinar below.
Hosts
Click to learn more about each of our presenters and hosts below.
Mr. Toyin Kayo-Ajayi, originally from Nigeria, has emerged as a trailblazer in Canadian agriculture, with a rich entrepreneurial history spanning over two decades. His journey from Ekiti State, Nigeria to becoming a distinguished business owner and agricultural professional (owning his own farm) in British Columbia, Canada, is a testament to his dedication, commitment to work, and expertise. He farmed with his grandparents from 5 years old and learned traditional African farming practices and natural food processing and preservation.
After settling in Canada in 2001, Mr. Kayo-Ajayi went into dairy farming in 2003, gaining a wealth of knowledge about Canadian farming practices and the agricultural business industry in Canada. Since 2005, he has been mentoring Black, African and Caribbean (BAC) farmers to enter into the Canadian agriculture industry, and in other business ventures within Canada. After 10 years of serving his community on the grassroots level, Mr. Kayo-Ajayi founded the Kara-Kata Afrobeat Society of Canada. It all started with music and food, hosting African cultural community events with his performance band, Kara-Kata Afrobeat Group. He now has 2 performance bands, composes his own music, and runs a community music program, and the African Foods Foodbank.
Since 2019, Mr. Kayo-Ajayi has spearheaded a groundbreaking agricultural project, the Kara-Kata Africa Village Project, where he has successfully experimented growing African cultural vegetables and herbs in Canada. He is paving the way for Black, African and Caribbean farmers and BAC food sovereignty in Canada. As part of this project, he has done extensive research on various farming practices and innovative technology that can benefit the Canadian and African agricultural industries through maximizing productivity, the growing seasons and natural/organic growing processes.
Beyond his personal achievements, Mr. Kayo-Ajayi has taken a leadership role in advocating for BAC farmers and BAC food sovereignty in Canada through awareness, education, agricultural conferences, and collaboration with other organizations, government bodies, and agricultural investors. In 2022, he founded the Canadian Black Farmers Association, which advocates for and creates opportunities for Black, African and Caribbean farmers in Canada. He is currently a board member of the Small Scale Food Processors Association of BC, and he does regular speaking engagements at agricultural and food security focused events.
Toyin Kayo-Ajayi
Canadian Black Farmers Association President
Sosa Eweka is a passionate mental health advocate, registered nurse, and public speaker dedicated to creating safe spaces for healing and honest conversations. As the founder of Salt City Advocacy Society, a nonprofit focused on women, children and Seniors. Sosa leads transformative programs that center mental wellness, cultural connection, and collective healing.
Originally from Nigeria and now based in Canada, Sosa draws deeply from her immigrant experience to inspire others to embrace wholeness—mind, body, and spirit. With a background in nursing and a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, she blends empathy, storytelling, and practical wellness tools to help people reconnect with themselves and their communities.
Through her signature event series, “Talks with Sosa,” and programs like “Songs of Our Ancestors and Holistic Healing through Art therapy” she has impacted hundreds of lives—empowering women, seniors, and families to heal through conversation, art, and community care. With over a decade of public speaking experience, Sosa continues to use her voice to remind others that healing is not a destination—it’s a shared journey.
Sosa Eweka-Valentine
Founder, Salt City Advocacy Society
Need Help Now?
If you feel you need support, please reach out to us for 1-1 support from our team, we can make a professional referral for counselling.
