My name is Chelsea, I am a passionate small scale grower currently located in Lillooet who is looking for Land Stewardship opportunities within St'at'imc, alongside others who are like minded in their values, growing practices, and their centering of community. I have been working on organic farms and growing in various small scale set ups for the past 7 years, having moved out west from Halifax, NS to the BC mainland to learn how to grow food in 2015. I completed an Apprenticeship on a reputable organic farm in 2016 and have engaged in variety of agricultural work and environmental educational experiences since then (everything from vegetables to hemp production to bee keeping to medicinal mushrooms to Indigenous led movements for land rights and clean water). My vision as an individual farmer is to grow high quality, accessible medicine and food for my community, specifically through either my own value added herbal medicine and food products (ex. plant and mushroom supplements, spice & tea mixes, canned value added food products) or through bulk sales to others who are making culturally appropriate, accessible medicine and food. While my curiosity will always remain broad, I am currently committed to 2 things in my farm planning. The first is finding a Land stewardship opportunity with stable on-site housing that is suitable for growing herbs/spices, food, perennials and has space for a small mushroom growing operation (indoor and outdoor set ups). Room for chickens would also been great as I have a small flock that I would like to bring with me, but it is not mandatory. At least 1 acre with room to expand and the ability to work with others on the property long term is ideal (ex. eventual farm partners or a collective of small scale growers). I am also looking for a land sharing partners who regardless of different growing interests, share common values and aspirations around land stewardship, food justice and a local community focus. This could look like a joint venture on land from a land trust, land sharing arrangement, partners in farm business management, collaborative transition to land ownership, educators wanting to do land based teaching, herbalists that want to partner with growers etc. To me, the possibilities of ways to share land and work together to support each other are endless, but I recognize that these partnerships need to happen organically and I hope to cultivate more of those connections over the coming growing season. I'm confident in my ability to support a mutually beneficial land sharing relationship with land title holders and other growing partners in the shared vision for a farm space. Solid relationships with those I am working with is foundational to my growing practice.
Can be untilled or tilled, previously cultivated or not, roughly flat 1/2 acre for raised beds of herbs/vegetables as well as spots to plant perennials, preferably fenced, access to irrigation, ability to add loads of compost to area if necessary.