Urban Digs and Yummy Yards: The new farming pioneers
When it comes to Transition Trades, those arguably on the forefront of the new local, sustainable economy are our urban farmers. Our current food system is one of the great achilles heals of our society, requiring huge amounts of non-renewable energy to produce, process, transport and prepare food - and generating lots of waste in the process (by most accounts up to 50% of the food produced in North America is wasted). Metro Vancouver is in a particularly precarious position, importing more than 75% of all fruits and vegetables from California alone, not to mention imports of most other types of foods. If something were to get in the way of those imports (natural catastrophes, political problems, etc.), Vancouver could find itself in a precarious position.
There is, however, a small revolution taking place in Metro Vancouver. Since 2010, a number of courageous individuals have taken up farming in the city,helping us move towards a more sustainable and resilient food system. In 2011 there were 28 urban farms in Metro Vancouver, of which 16 were situated in Vancouver proper. Julia Smith of Urban Digs Farm and Emi Do of Yummy Yards are two of the brave souls leading the charge, taking the immense learning curve of urban agriculture in stride, while proving their skill not only in tending the soil, but in business and marketing as well. Both are founding members of the new urban farming cooperative Metro Vancouver City Farms, which unites 7 urban farms that share resources, knowledge, experience and skills with one another.
Julia Smith farms with her partner Ludo and several interns on plots located in Vancouver's Southlands, Steveston and south Burnaby. She did her Permaculture Design Certification out of curiosity while studying geology at UBC. By the end of the course, she had decided that sustainable agriculture was the earth science for her so she changed her major and is now studying sustainable agriculture part time at UBC and full time through the day to day operations at Urban Digs Farm. With a passion for sustainable, regemrative agriculture, she is happy to have the opportunity to work at something so close to her heart.
Julia and Ludo were recently featured in a video series called "Meet your Urban Farmer" being created by Fire and Light Media Group. Click here to watch the video!
Julia and Ludo were recently featured in a video series called "Meet your Urban Farmer" being created by Fire and Light Media Group. Click here to watch the video!
Emi Do is a young woman with a passion for growing delicious, fresh vegetables in an ecologically, personally and economically sustainable way. Wholly believing in the therapeutic benefit that growing food can bring into our lives, Emi is using Yummy Yards as a vehicle to bring this powerful tool into the lives of her urban counterparts.
Says Emi of her path to urban farmerdom: "It's been a wonderfully winding road which has lead me to this beautiful city of Vancouver. My educational background is in Kinesiology, but through my various experiences I've come to understand that our health and well being aren't governed solely by our physiology. Rather, they are hugely influenced by the systems which govern our lives: food, water, energy and environment. My quest to be 'life' literate has taken me around the world, first by plane, then on foot and finally by bicycle, to tackle an understanding of all systems, with food on the forefront. It was through my interest in food that lead me to obtain my Permaculture Design Certification through the Panya Project in Thailand. I am so grateful for the opportunity to apply my knowledge and previous experiences to Yummy Yards and Southlands Farm, and am looking forward to a bountiful season to share with Vancouver."
In February, Julia and Emi signed a 5-year lease on 2.7 acres of land in the Agricultural Land Reserve in south Burnaby, which they are now farming together with fellow farmer Shirlene Cote of Earth Apple Farm. They are now busy turning the land, which includes a house into which Julia and Ludo are now moving, into a bona fide farmyard complete with a barn and a couple of pigs, Bacon and Chop.
To stay updated on Julia and Emi's urban farming odyssey, sign up for Julia's excellent weekly newsletter on her website at www.urbandiggsfarm.com.
