UBC Farm

The UBC Farm is a 24 hectare teaching, research, and community farm located on the University of British Columbia’s Campus in Vancouver, Canada. The Farm is a student-driven initiative where students, faculty, staff, and the local community have been working together to create a place where anyone can come to learn, live and value the connection between land, food and community. The ultimate goal of the farm is to retain and re-create existing farm and forest lands at the University of British Columbia into an internationally significant centre for sustainable agriculture, forestry and food systems. UBC Farm Market Garden

The idea for the market garden sprouted from a 2001 class project by two third year agriculture science students, Rosy Smit, and Barb de Cook. The faculty and staff were so impressed with Rosy and Barb’s project that they got the go ahead to start planting. This first year was very successful and they learned a whole bunch about growing, selling, and the devastating effects of wireworm on lettuce plants. During the next five years, the market garden grew significantly. In 2006, the Market Garden included approximately 1.5 ha in cultivation, which is more than an eightfold increase in capacity from its modest beginnings in 2001. All proceeds from the market garden are used in its operation, mostly for paying student workers. The market garden moves closer towards financial sustainability each year but as of 2006 still relies upon grants, wage subsidies, and considerable volunteer labour to break even. Based on the increases in efficiency over the last 5 seasons, they anticipate the market garden to be financially self-sustaining by 2007.

In 2005, the market garden included almost 250 separate varieties of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and small fruits, and also manages a free-range poultry flock into the crop rotation. They grow a wide variety of crops including our signature salad mix, spicy salad mix, radishes, kale, peas, beans, artichokes, basil, turnips, bok choy, carrots and various herbs. As the season moves forward, it yields different types of squash, melons, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkins, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, and many varieties of flowers. All of the crops are grown according to COABC guidelines for organic production. 2007 will mark the third season the UBC farm has offered shares in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project. This is a chance for members of the community to receive a weekly basket of fresh, organic produce from the farm, while students have the opportunity to learn about this innovative production and marketing system. Community Supported Agriculture is one of the fastest growing forms of agriculture in North America. CSAs involve a partnership between consumers and producers in which consumers pay a set price to the farmer in the spring - essentially buying a share in the farm’s anticipated harvest. In return, members receive a weekly box of the farm’s produce throughout the season. CSAs help farmers by providing funds when input costs are high and by guaranteeing a market for the farm’s produce. Consumers benefit by receiving fresh, high-quality food and by becoming more connected to the land on which their food is grown. As every season presents different challenges and opportunities for producers, CSAs are a system of “shared risk and reward.” As such, the UBC Market Garden will do their best to meet the target if produce happens to be sparse, and they’ll include extras when they’re abundant!