These Cowichan Valley farmers are looking beyond pastures for profit
Keating Farm hopes diversifying its business model could create financial and environmental sustainability.
Food for Thought
You don’t have to spend much time in the Cowichan Valley to realize that food is a big deal here. This region, among the warmest in Canada, has been a bread basket for millenia. But farming and agriculture face significant challenges. Climate change and other human impacts have stressed water systems to their breaking point, resulting in severe droughts in many recent summers. Our deep dive into food and agriculture will break down complexity and tell stories about real people making a difference in this community. Coming February 2021.
This Cowichan Valley farm is innovating towards small-scale profitability
‘Everything I need is here,’ says Heather Young, owner of Under the Oak Farm.
Duncan’s downtown farm grows more than just produce
The space should be a blueprint for other cities
, urban farmer Laura Boyd-Clowes says.
This group is tackling food insecurity one urban garden at a time
Iyé Creative, a social enterprise based in Victoria, uses food and education to reconnect people with land, culture and community.
Cowichan couple cultivates a passion for cheesemaking
“I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else,” says Cory Spencer, founder of Haltwhistle Cheese Company.
Coast Salish foods of today: Evolving towards a new path
Knowledge keepers share what has been lost, and what has been held onto, in Coast Salish food culture.
Little Zimbabwe Farm offers a cultural exchange through food and music
Amy and Tafadzwa Matamba are on a mission to improve local food security and give the community agency when it comes to their food.
Island Good brand gives local food a boost
“I know when I go and purchase something else from an Island Good company, someone’s proud of this,” says Paul Gill, co-owner of Sutra Foods.
Small family dairy farm goes big with home delivery business
The Cowichan Milk Company delivers dairy products and more to the doorstop.
Inside the effort to expand meat processing options for farmers
Organizations in Cowichan and the South Island are pushing to make meat processing more feasible for small-scale farms in order to bolster the local food economy.
