Food

By Olga Lansdorp, Tara Moreau, and Robin Hadac Today, there is a group of individuals representing educational institutions, non-profit organizations, cooperatives, and other groups with a focus on small-scale, diversified agriculture, who are all aware of what the other organizations strive to accomplish over the next five years. They are also aware of the funding …

Catalyzing Collaboration Across Small-Scale, Diversified Agriculture Organizations Read More »

By Olga Lansdorp Olga is the program manager for SPEC’s Climate Change Adaptation for Small Scale Farmers program.  It was a cold, windy morning in late January, but that didn’t stop the farmers, presenters, volunteers, and other interested parties from coming to the Scandinavian Community Centre in Burnaby, BC. It promised to be a day filled with …

Recap From the 2018 Small Scale Farmers’ Symposium Read More »

By Art Bomke and Wayne Temple Art Bomke is a SPEC Director and co-wrote this piece for the Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust newsletter. You can find the complete article here.  In the Beginning: It’s hard to believe that nearly 25 years have flown by since the inception of the Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust (DF&WT). In spite of …

Lessons from the DFWT: A Model for Community Based Conservation Read More »

By Olga Lansdorp, Project Coordinator, Climate Change Adaptation for Small Scale Farmers, Society Promoting Environmental Conservation Have you ever had your eyes opened to a new way of seeing the world, to find that there is no turning back? I first experienced this when I was 18 and worked studying birds in the Rocky Mountains; …

Bugging Out Read More »

By Janey Lee, Teacher at Thunderbird Elementary, SPEC Fundraiser and Celebration Speech,  Good evening everyone. My name is Janey Lee and for the past 19 years I have been proudly teaching at Thunderbird Elementary. Thunderbird is a Tier 1 inner city, east side school in Vancouver. Thunderbird is located across the street from the largest …

On the Impact of SPEC’s School Gardens Program Read More »

By Dr. Art Bomke, SPEC Director The article in the September 8th Vancouver Sun refers to recent census data that is reflecting a loss of farms and fewer farmers in Metro Vancouver. It may seem odd that an urban-based environmental organization like SPEC would be engaged in supporting local farmers, however, our ongoing Climate Change Adaptation …

Supporting Local Farmers in the Face of Changing Climate Read More »

By Amrita Pooni Amrita is a student entering her final year of university. She is majoring in a B.A. of International Relations at the University of British Columbia. She is currently interning with the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC) ​as the facilitator of the annual Westside Community Food Market (a partnership with Kitsilano Neighbourhood House)​.  As a student, working on the Westside Community Food Market has …

A New Perspective on Your Local Market Read More »

Written by Karla Olson Why did you become a farmer? “I used to work in a government office doing IT and found myself looking out the window all the time longing to be in the fresh air and sunshine. I started volunteering with the permaculture Vancouver meet-up group and loved the experience of gardening and …

Meet Your Farmer: Q&A with Adam Soltys of Yummy Yards Read More »

Written by Karla Olsen Why did you become a farmer? “I left my office job to look for more fulfilling work in the environmental sector and through volunteering discovered that organic farming satisfied the environmentalist in me as well as giving me a sense of satisfaction that comes with hard, physical work, and seeing concrete …

Meet Your Farmer: Q&A With Karly Pinch of Shady Acre Farm Read More »