From exploring James Bay’s aquatic habitat with an underwater drone to mapping and testing the region’s natural springs, the Chisasibi Eeyou Resource and Research Institute (CERRI) is steadily expanding community-driven projects while propelling youth into science-based careers.
Since 2016, the non-profit organization has developed innovative solutions to local issues by emphasizing Eeyou knowledge, lived experience and respect for the land. Food sovereignty became a priority in recent years, with Chisasibi-grown cucumbers and tomatoes sold for the first time this summer.
“We’re figuring out what people want to eat and the best way to grow it,” said sustainability specialist Jason Stevens. “The ultimate goal is to scale up to produce more fully what Chisasibi actually needs. In the process, we’re encouraging people to grow more.”
After constructing a geodesic agriculture research dome behind the community’s central Mitchuap complex in 2023, this year saw the completion of an accompanying greenhouse and the preparation of an acre of farmland for future seeding.
As little organic matter remained at the formerly contaminated 4-acre site at KM 0, CERRI’s agriculture team tilled the acidic soil last October. This summer, nearly an entire transport truck’s worth of compost and dolomite was mixed into the sandy earth. To ready the land for pea or bean crops next year, autumn rye was added as a cover crop to improve biomass, root structures and nitrogen.
The insulated dome provides warmer temperatures for growing vegetables like sunchokes. It also hosted CERRI’s “agriculture club” members Saturday mornings throughout the summer to maintain its grow beds while learning gardening skills. The greenhouse expanded crop capacity, including transplants from Big River High School’s greenhouse. Last year, CERRI’s Preston Sam and Collin Snowboy launched soil preparation and seeding activities in classrooms.
“There’s something deeply fulfilling about knowing the food on your plate was nurtured and grown right here, in the heart of our community,” Sam wrote on CERRI’s blog. “For us, this work is more than just about growing food – it’s about growing a movement.”
Stevens said that Malabar spinach grown at the school was so popular with the younger children that some were asking for seconds – which he provided as long as they informed their parents that they now like spinach.
New grow beds installed outdoors make community agriculture even more accessible while enabling a greater diversity of crops, such as snow peas or radishes. As they learn which foods grow better indoors or outdoors, CERRI is involving community members in every step of the process.
This summer’s staff included four local students and two others hired through government grants. Peter House, who has worked in waterfowl research and video demonstrations of Eeyou Ituun traditional knowledge since 2023, was joined at CERRI this year by his wife and two children.
A hydroponics container farm will be installed in October. Three utility containers will initially support lettuce and strawberry crops, but the project could eventually host 10 growing containers.
“There’s a good chance that one container farm might be able to produce all the lettuce this community needs,” said Stevens. “You can grow year-round with a container farm but are more limited in what you can do. Strawberries, lettuce and herbs grow well with hydroponics so we’re starting with that.”
While these systems are typically enhanced by pumping in carbon dioxide, Stevens suggested the CO2 released by oyster mushrooms could provide a natural alternative. Foraging expeditions will better identify and quantify the region’s wild mushrooms. CERRI recently held workshops to help people recognize edible varieties.
CERRI is pursuing food safety certification through MAPAQ so it can sell produce at the local co-op and Cree Mart. There are early conversations about sharing some production tasks with Wemindji to reduce reliance on CERRI as a sole supplier.
“To be sustainable with commercial production for the cucumbers and tomatoes, we’ve matched the lowest price in town,” Stevens explained. “We feel that’s a fair value and the taste is much better. We did a test for sugar quantity, and the sweetness was 2.5 compared to about 1.8 for an English cucumber at the store.”
A marine biology field trip led by Dante Torio in August explored the region’s shoreline and aquatic vegetation, even using drones to document underwater habitats.
Preston Bobbish is leading studies of the territory’s freshwater sources to assess impacts of industrialization and climate change. Interviewing land users and analyzing natural springs, Bobbish tests samples for contamination from bacteria, dissolved metals and chemical runoff.
“There are some concerns about people’s teas changing different colours,” said Bobbish. “Some rivers are starting to turn brown. If a camp is upstream, eventually the spring will go bad. We collect samples and try to mitigate impacts on the land.”
Bobbish highlighted mining operations, dumpsites, construction zones and firefighting training areas as threats to water quality. The isostatic rebound that causes Chisasibi’s land to rise at one of the fastest rates in the world can also alter groundwater chemistry.
Sampling is a delicate procedure, sometimes involving ground-penetrating radar or hydrogeology tools like the Guelph permeameter. Emphasizing the need for a local laboratory, Bobbish noted at a summit last September that shipping samples to Montreal within the required 24-hour window is a major challenge.
Working with CERRI for over five years, Bobbish is improving his skills by taking a hydrogeology program at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue. He says inspiring youth to become community researchers is central to the organization’s vision.
“More young people should get into this because the world is continually evolving,” said Bobbish. “It’s an eye-opener. It’s important to know where to get water in case there’s an emergency. Water is such a necessity.”