Challenges
- Fresh food to market – distribution challenging / processing in Island challenging
- High land costs
- Older farm owners dominant / succession issues / aging out with huge debt / how do young farmers get involved
- High cost of labour / limited labour pool
- How can the farm owner earn a sustainable living?
Partner Solutions
- Agri-tourism / vertical integration / challenging processing chains / supply channels
- The creation of “farmpreneur”
- Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture (https://www.vicnews.com/news/north-saanichs-sandown-lands-to-become-agricultural-focused-community-centre/) – fully committed to the development of “farmpreneur”
- Focus on the business of farming
- More support from government for small farming
- Education specific to accessing funding opportunities
- Accomodation for staff on the farm
- Grants for leasehold land ownership (soil irrigation / fencing – consider these as TI for farming)
- Policy & program development should be regional, not just Vancouver & Valley oriented
- Higher threshold for large land estates to claim farm tax
- Island Good (https://islandgood.ca/about-island-good/what-is-island-good/)
3 emerging areas
- Small farm development
- New foods
- New practises for small farm production
Why are these emergent areas? Focus on high cost of land and creating sustainable & affordable businesses
Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture
- Building future farms
- Agricultural sustainability & security
- Regenerative farming (junkyard to farm)
- Mentoring of future farmers & community farmers
- Partners:
- District of North Saanich
- UVIC
- Fickle Fig Farm
- Kwantlen Institute for Sustainable Food & Systems
- Tseycum Nation in the future
Summary
- Pay attention to our own backyard – must be able to regenerate our land
- Future investment in the “farmpreneur” – must be better farm based business people & entities
- The Peninsula is a fabulous asset & we must celebrate & promote the food / farming / business sector to the broader community
