2026 Building Momentum & Deepening Impact
From Meat Cove to The Hawk, 2026 cannot be a year of tinkering at the edges. Nova Scotia is facing converging economic, environmental, and social shocks that demand bold rural action. Wells are running low after prolonged droughts, and private well users—nearly half of Nova Scotians—face rising risks from contamination and saltwater intrusion as the climate changes. Communities are watching forests burn, coasts erode, and infrastructure strain under storms and high winds.
At the same time, food deserts are becoming the norm in both rural and small‑town main streets. Long supply chains and fragile global markets leave too many households one storm or one missed paycheque away from empty shelves. Yet the answers are here: local producers, community food hubs, cooperatives, land trusts, and youth-led climate and food initiatives are already charting a different path.
RCFNS enters 2026 with momentum—and a responsibility to deepen impact. Our 2025–2027 Strategy and Action Plan commits us to food self‑determination, climate resilience, and equitable land stewardship across rural Nova Scotia. That means investing in community‑led food systems, supporting climate adaptation in the places most at risk, and walking alongside Mi’kmaq, African Nova Scotian, Acadian, and newcomer communities as they lead solutions.
Meeting today’s economic needs while honouring tomorrow’s possibilities is not optional; it is the only way forward. The wells, soils, forests, and coastlines we depend on will not recover from business‑as‑usual. This will require intentional, sometimes uncomfortable, and definitely “other‑than‑usual‑suspect” relationships: farmers and fishers planning with educators and Elders; youth climate leaders designing alongside municipal CAOs; community land trusts at the same tables as funders and policymakers.
In 2026, RCFNS will use this blog series to spotlight communities already doing this work—and to invite others into the conversation. The stakes are high, but so is the potential. Rural Nova Scotia is ready to move from momentum to deep, durable systems change.
#RCFNS #RuralNovaScotia #FoodSecurity #WaterIsLife #ClimateResilience #LandStewardship #SystemsChange #FutureGenerations #RuralMatters
