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LILLOOET: Community Grower seeking Land Stewardship opportunites & partners

Located in
  • Cariboo -
  • Lower Mainland - Fraser Valley -
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Land Seeker Details

Training
  • Agriculture-related degree - BA in International Development focused on environmental & food systems
  • Apprenticeship -
  • General farming (3 years+) - 7 years farm experience; everything from urban community gardening to large scale market gardening to homesteading
  • Other experience/agricultural/business training - Mushroom Growing; Food Processing & Herbal medicine; Movements for Indigenous Rights
Do you have a business plan?
No - currently enrolled in the YA Business Course for Small Farmers
Do you have financial resources available to start your farm?
Yes - some savings
Do you have access to other financial resources (such as a financial partner, loan, etc.) to start your farm?'
Yes - looking for investors and could aply to grants

Project

Farm Name
Tulsi & Spice
Farm Project Description

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.

Preferred Arrangement
  • Registered Lease on Title -
  • Lease -
  • MOU -
  • Transfer / Succession -
  • Business Partnership -
  • Other - rental of a housing space with access to land under M.O.U/legal agreement
Duration of the desired agreement
at least 5-10 years
Ideal date to obtain land by
2022

Land & Features Desired

Total Land Size (acres)
at least 1 acre needed to grow; land for expansion ideal
Wooded Area (acres)
Yes - access to shaded areas or ability to plant trees on property
Cultivable Area (acres)
1/2 acre - 1 acre
Possibility to expand area currently available (acres)
Yes - Ideally the land will have room for other small scale growers to diversify farm but grower aspiration must fit the needs of the land base too
Zoning
Either
Preferred current state of the surface of the cultivable area

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.

Open to landowner residing on property
Yes
Need farm buildings
Yes - some storage, room for processing or available buildings would be ideal
Need fenced land
Yes - fences can be buit around garden plans
Need farm machinery and tools
Yes - if available, yes. If not plan will be made to obtain a tiller or broad fork etc.
Need established water source and infrastructure
irrigation for at least a half acre
Need on-site housing
Yes
Production type
  • Vegetable - food for people living on property
  • Mixed - mushrooms, herbs, spices (ginger, cumin, hot peppers etc.), perrenials for food and medicine
Type of agriculture
  • Organic -
Soil needs
preferably a mix of loam, sand and clay but open to using regenerative techniques and adding compost to soil in need
Will acquire commercial insurance
Yes - dependent on land sharing situation
Last modifed over 1 year ago; never expires.