April 2018
villagevibe News and views from the heart of Fernwood
Vic High Learning Farm Launching Farming engagement through education
›› Ross Currie
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ic High’s farm is seeing an expansion to a 5,000 square foot plot, just in time for the change in season. The farm, which is run in conjunction with farmer Jesse Brown of Mason Street City Farm and Victoria High School has received a lot of community support, grants, and donations from local, provincial and national organizations such as Farm To School BC, the Public Health Association of BC, Farm to Cafeteria, Whole Kids Foundation, and the City of Victoria. The Vic High Learning Farm Launch will take place on Monday, April 9th at 10:00am with a welcome blessing by the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, Vic High student drummers, speakers, and a planting of the first crop—beans around the perimeter of the farm. The new plot will offer faculty and students at Vic High a chance to approach the farm from a multitude of different subjects and discipline. This will allow students to learn a hands-on approach to farming techniques, as well as learning the applications of farming, with respect to the curriculum. “In all aspects, food is so important for youth to connect to,” says Eden Murray, Vic High Student and Youth Food Action Coordinator with the Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Round Table Society. “I think it’s really important for youth to learn about farming, but I think it’s important for them to engage in their food systems in a diversity of ways,” she adds. Given an aging farming workforce, and a shift in the need for sustainable urban agricultural practices, the farm could offer a link for a younger generation of students to engage in farming techniques
The new Vic High Learning Farm is launching on Monday, April 9th at 10:00am, located to the north of Vic High. Photo: Mila Czemerys
and dialogue surrounding food systems moving forward. “The more we’re able to educate people, give them the skills and resources to be able to grow their own food and be food secure and sovereign, the more we’re going to have a vibrant food culture within the city,” says Aaren Topley, Capital Region Farm To School Animator with Farm To School BC, an organization that links schools and students to their local food systems. “These programs are really important because I think a lot of students don’t realize that farming is something they want to do,” says Topley. “Whether students want to become a farmer through this program, or they just want to learn how to grow food in their backyard, or know where their food comes from; I think all are really important skills.” The need to recognize this at an early age and provide students with skills in farming techniques and food systems at
the high school level can provide a link for future urban farming initiatives and a more engaged food-conscious community. Brown, of Mason Street City Farm, was directly involved in facilitating the expansion of the farm. He is working to coordinate with classes and teachers on ways the farm can educate students through applied learning while also overseeing the overall function of the farm. “Urban farming is a hot topic these days,” says Brown. “I think it’s great for students to be able to be introduced to farming through urban agriculture, because there’s a buzz about it, and it’s visible.” This visibility will hopefully lead to a student population that is aware of the need for sustainable urban agricultural techniques moving forward. This will take the shape of the Garden Club at Vic High, classroom sign-up for accessing the farm’s learning potentials, and offering individuals the chance to sign-up or work
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the farm outside of school in a volunteer or employment opportunity. The marriage between students and schools, local farming organizations, government-funded food system programs, and community involvement will hopefully bring about a change in the way youth engage with urban agriculture. The food from the farm will be used for a weekly salad bar at Vic High and could be used to feed the community, given how the project evolves in the future. “It’s important for youth to have access to all these aspects of food and growing because we’re human beings and we need to eat and engage with our community. Food is such a good way to connect to the land and connect to the community,” says Murray. With that being said, the farm is expected to act as a happy medium between education, farming practices, and community involvement, all in an urban landscape.
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