Agriculture
B.C. small farms are booming, despite fickle buyers and extreme weather
B.C.’s small farms are booming, despite market and climate challenges, according to this article from CBC News. High winds slammed a tree into Paul Dumais’ chicken coop Tuesday while he was collecting eggs inside, sending a shudder through the walls of the shack south of Quesnel B.C. — but the chickens survived. “I just…
Read MoreGarden Hill First Nation Creates a Farm in a Box!
Food security is a significant issue for many remote First Nations across Canada — including Garden Hill First Nation, located in northern Manitoba. In the following blogpost from Aki Energy, a non-profit Aboriginal social enterprise that works with First Nations to start green businesses in their communities, creating local jobs and growing strong local economies,…
Read MoreCEDIFs an Investment Model for Rural BC?
The BC Rural Centre believes that a vehicle like Nova Scotia’s Community Economic Development Investment Fund (CEDIF) would be an ideal way to repatriate a portion of the investment funds currently leaving British Columbia, stimulate small business development and expansion, and provide a very effective rural development tool. FarmWorks Investment Co-operative Limited is a CEDIF cooperative…
Read MoreLocal Food, the Secret Ingredient for Vibrant Downtowns
Whether you are a foodie or a farmer, local food is something to embrace. In small towns, the local food movement is doing more than putting meals on plates—it is nourishing economies by keeping farms vital and downtowns alive. In this Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design hour-long webinar, we hear how farmers’ markets and food…
Read MoreFood, glorious food, Shuswap style
Surveys show a sizeable majority of British Columbians would prefer to buy and consume food grown close to home. Yet no more than five percent of the food we eat is locally sourced. Some see this as a problem. Others see it as a tremendous opportunity. In this podcast, the Shuswap Food Co-Op’s Ronn Boeur…
Read MoreFields Forward is putting a cherry on top!
Rural revitalization. Rural renewal. Leveraging local strengths. These are all easier said than done for many rural communities struggling to reinvent themselves in the context of a rapidly urbanizing 21st century. An innovative agriculture-based initiative in BC’s Creston Valley has taken on the challenge — in fact it could be said that Fields Forward…
Read MoreHealthy Food for Everyone — Is It Possible?
Healthy Food for All? Healthy food for everyone — is it possible? On October 16, World Food Day, BC-based environment organization Wildsight’s Elk Valley Branch presented FOOD for THOUGHT: Food Security For Our Communities – an online event designed to educate, connect & inspire anyone interested in food security. The web-based event brought together thought leaders,…
Read MoreLocal Agriculture — a Chat With Rob Gay
Rob Gay is both the Area C Director and chair of the Regional District East Kootenay. Rob sits on the board of SIBAC, and through the Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments helped organize a recent workshop in Creston on agriculture, titled Healthier & Wealthier Through Food. It was a useful and sometimes thought-provoking day-long…
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