Community Farms Program Goals and Activities

Goal

The goal of the Community Farms Program is to actively secure farmland for present and future food production. We do this by:

  • Facilitating farmland securement for local food production
  • Helping new farmers access affordable land
  • Providing an information hub of farm-related governance models, best practices, management tools, and training
  • Assisting a network of farmers, landowners, local communities, and resources to support community farm development in BC

Ongoing Activities

Every activity is a building block in the development of the Community Farms Program and the future services it can provide. As we speak with farmers, groups, and interested individuals, we learn and understand more about what is needed, and adjust the program systems and resources in response.

We continue to:

  • Facilitate formation of community groups (societies and cooperatives) that support farms and farmers
  • Help groups develop capacity in their communities to support community farms and farmers
  • Identify potential new farmers and survey their needs and assets
  • Link farmers with mentors, training and land
  • Provide informational resources, and maintain a Community Farms Program web site that houses community farm resources and links to partners and programs
  • Support a Council of partners, stakeholders and farmers to guide and develop the Community Farms Program

Project Activities

On-going project activities in the Community Farms Program include:

  • Research and explain existing government regulations on land ownership and farming businesses and how this affects the development and operations of community farms on agricultural land;
  • Design a “Whole Farm Planning process” to set conservation and sustainable agriculture objectives specifically for community farms;
  • Work with community farms in various stages of development to test, evaluate, and revise the models, templates, and Whole Farm Planning process;
  • Share project results with other BC communities to support existing community farms, stimulate the formation of new community farms, and increase awareness and support for community farms among members of the public.

created by: Barbara Joughin

Last Modified: March 22, 2016