[BCFSN] New EcoFarm School, Victoria

[Rhona McAdam]

Apologies for cross postings; please share with your networks.

 

Cultivating More Local Farmers - Haliburton Farm Launches its EcoFarm School


 

February 9, 2017

 

Victoria, BC - Haliburton Community Organic Farm will launch an EcoFarm
School for adults on March 24 2017.  It's a unique learning program that
includes organic farming, ecological restoration and holistic nutrition to
prepare a new generation of farmers for local farming careers.  An EcoFarm
Open House will be held Saturday 18th March from noon to 2pm at the Farm,
741 Haliburton Road, Victoria.

 

People usually think that high land costs are what keeps local farmers off
the land. But there is another challenge - the shortage of farmers. In
Saanich, only 4 people in a thousand actively farm. Plus, farmers are aging
- in Saanich most are over 55 and only 4% are under 35. Local food
production is at risk, and imported food makes up almost all of what we eat
on Vancouver Island.

 

There are local food policies in the works, as well as community gardens,
courses, and workshops for gardeners. But there are desperately few
opportunities for people wanting to learn how to farm as a business, and
fewer still providing sustainable farming skills that integrate
biodiversity, organics and nutrition.

 

About Haliburton Farm 

 

Haliburton Community Organic Farm is an educational resource, well-embedded
in Vancouver Island's local farming culture, and a proud winner of the 2016
EcoStar Award for Food Security. The Farm is owned by the District of
Saanich and managed by the non-profit Haliburton Community Organic Farm
Society. For more than 10 years, this "incubator" farm has provided
mentorship and community to farmers learning to earn a living through
certified organic farming and ecological stewardship. For more information,
please visit:

http://haliburtonfarm.org <http://haliburtonfarm.org/> .

 

About the EcoFarm School

 

The EcoFarm School offers an extraordinary combination of expertise in
<http://haliburtonfarm.org/education-and-workshops/>  certified organic
farming methods, ecosystem restoration and
<http://haliburtonfarm.org/biodiversity/> biodiversity, and
<https://golocalnutrition.wordpress.com/> holistic nutrition. The curriculum
is tailored to adult learners wishing to learn organic farming within a
place-based, ecological context. Coursework includes a unique mix of
classroom instruction and hands-on farming, ecosystem and food handling
practices. Special emphasis will be placed on Indigenous food systems and
the role of native species in a certified organic farming environment. 

 

The EcoFarm School program is offered through generous support from Vancity
and the Victoria Foundation. Registration is limited to 10 students for
2017. For more information and fees, please visit:

http://haliburtonfarm.org/education/haliburton-ecofarm-school/.

 

Contact

 

To learn more about the EcoFarm School, or to register, please contact

 

EcoFarm School Coordinator

741 Haliburton Road, Victoria, BC 

Office: (250) 886-1648 <tel:(250)%20886-1648> 

ecofarmschool at gmail.com

 

 

--------------------------

Rhona McAdam

Victoria BC

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