Uniting Community, Spurring Plans for Action Shauna MacKinnon The BC Seed Gathering is not your typical conference. The foundation of the event is a deep commitment to responding to community needs and providing a place for experienced and new seed growers to come together to learn, network and strategize together. The Gatherings are a connection… Keep Reading
Meagan Curtis As a physical embodiment of the next generation, seeds compel us to respect the concept of intergenerational justice also known as the seventh-generation principle followed by many First Nations in Canada. To achieve this, agriculture is practiced in a precautionary manner so that harm is prevented to our crops, the seeds they bare,… Keep Reading
Susan Smith, P.Ag. Please take a moment to welcome Emma Holmes, our new Industry Specialist for Organics! She is based at the Agriculture Centre in beautiful Abbotsford, and while serving a temporary assignment for the Ministry of Agriculture as the New Entrant Agrologist, Emma successfully competed for the Organics Specialist position. Emma is an alumni… Keep Reading
From Seedling to Success Story Moss Dance If you’ve ever bought a box of sprouts in BC, it’s highly likely that they were grown at Eatmore Sprouts in K’ómox Territory, on Vancouver Island (Courtenay, BC.) Behind that delicious package of sprouts, there is a story of earth-conscious principles, community, and dedication to the organic movement.… Keep Reading
The Art and Science of Organic Agriculture Marjorie Harris BSc, IOIA V.O. P.Ag The Principle of Health: Organic Agriculture should sustain and enhance the health of soil, plant, animal, human and planet as one and indivisible. The Principle of Health, as stated by IFOAM, is the original premise that modern organic agriculture is based on.… Keep Reading
Charles Z Levkoe and Michael Ekers Originally published by Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario in “Ecological Farming in Ontario”. This is part 3 of a 4 part series on research into unpaid farm labour. While the research was conducted with farms in Ontario, much of the findings likely carry over to BC. This article is… Keep Reading
Learning From Italy’s Thriving Agriculture Co-operatives By Chris Bodnar Over two weeks in June, I had the opportunity to join other farmers and a group of Vancity Credit Union staff on a study tour in Bologna, Italy. The focus of the tour was the agricultural co-operative sector. The Bologna region is unique because of its… Keep Reading
Saikat Kumar Basu Clover is the common English name for different species of plants belonging to the genus Trifolium comprising over 250+ species distributed across the planet. These are legume plants that belong to the plant family Leguminaceae (Fabaceae) indicating these are plants capable of successfully fixing atmospheric nitrogen. Clover is commonly used as a… Keep Reading
Emma Holmes The Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) is a no-charge, voluntary, and confidential program in which producers receive one-on-one support from a qualified Planning Advisor to highlight their farm’s environmental strengths, identify potential risks, and set realistic action plans to improve environmental stewardship. It also supports farmers in taking advantage of tools, techniques, and funding… Keep Reading
Cait Murphy It’s early on a Friday morning and Matthew and his mother Ali have just spent 30 minutes driving to Tsawwassen. They drive this way every week for an opportunity that Ali has described as life-changing. The opportunity? Farmwork. Taller than any of the staff he works with, it would be easy to assume… Keep Reading
