By the SALT SPRING ISLAND FARMLAND TRUST
How can we serve you in 2025?
This is the question that thumps in our hearts and occupies our minds as we plan significant leaps towards being a resilient, food-secure island.
We, the Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust, are in this fortunate position — to be bold in our dreams — thanks to immense support from our beautiful and diverse community through 2024. The number of people and organizations we owe gratitude is humbling.
At The Farm
Our new manager energized everyone and oversaw much-needed initiatives like Phase 1 of the Water Drainage Improvement Plan. Thank you, Bayan, for becoming a pillar of the precious resources we steward.
Thank you to 46 enthusiastic volunteers who showed us the power of unity. You cleared plots, assisted gardeners, held workshops and brought priceless permaculture principles to life. Because of you the farm has a 1,000-litre compost tea tank that blends nutrient-rich plants like comfrey and nettle to boost the vitality of soil across the farm. Because of you, many Salt Springers now carry the knowledge of how to burn organic waste to make another super powerful and climate-friendly soil amendment known as biochar.
The farm received crucial money, too. Thank you, Canada Summer Jobs, for funding staff time to improve maintenance. Thank you Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program for funding our composting toilet.
At The Root
Who would we be without the soulful entrepreneurs who grace our food hub with their clear vision, fine skills and reliable work ethic?
Thank you, Nance Bakes, Sweetgrass Food Co, Ox Eats Grass, Hidden Realm Hot Sauce, Salty Burgers, Local Salt and Free Rangers. You are making our land, kitchen and barn buzz with yummy goodness.
We’ve also been fortunate to witness entrepreneurs outgrow our space and spread their wings to serve even more happy customers. Thank you, Salt Jar Refillery and Salt Spring Flour Co., for proving us to be a valuable incubator, and for inspiring us to continue our own growth. May you always prosper.
To our non-profit friends, a deep bow is in order. To the Seed Sanctuary Society for being the keepers of our treasured seed bank and, along with Farm Folk City Folk, thank you for providing seed cleaning services to all the amazing, dedicated farmers who need it. You are anchoring our island’s resilience.
Moe Wendt: your deep wisdom and effort to grow and shape an educational permaculture garden, along with your financial generosity to donate fencing and garden tools, blows us away. Thank you for being with us. And thank you, Nigel, for all your hard work alongside Moe.
And to the Salt Spring Island Foundation for funding our storage container, REDIP for funding our water system, and Canada Summer Jobs who again helped us with important staffing costs — thank you, thank you, thank you.
With the Food Share Program
How many fine souls does it take to harvest 15,092 pounds of fruit? Answer: 80, and we love you all (pickers, treeholders and organizers combined). Thank you for making our inaugural gleaning program such a spirited and productive affair. You filled the Salt Spring Food Bank, nourished Gulf Islands School District, IWAV, the Women’s Institute and the Christmas With Scrooge community production — ha! You also brought smiles to countless individuals who picked up free apples from our farm stand.
The energy at our community apple-pressing days was incredible. Many of you spontaneously joined in the making of our apple juice commercial. So good to be with you all.
At the core of what we do is feeding each other, breaking bread together. Thank you to every gardener who showed up with fresh produce and homemade goods for others to share in and receive during our weekly food exchanges. Your abundance was so great, we were also able to support the devoted staff and patrons at Gabriel’s Kitchen.
It’s true to say that the assistance from First West Foundation and Victoria Foundation for staff time and harvest equipment, and from the Red Cross for volunteer development, was used to its fullest.
Inaugural Learning Series
It’s not just food we share, it’s a way of life. It’s the opportunity to be more harmonious with the earth.
Thank you Linda Gilkeson, Karen Cairney, Kayla Stratford, Cheyenne Sawchuk, Kerrie O’Donnel, Eland Bronstein, Brian Smallshaw, Ben Corno and Kaleigh Burton. With your guidance we learned a full cycle of natural collaboration — from arts of soil health, to seed starting, gardening in and out of a greenhouse, cooking and canning, and back again.
Governing Allies
Running an island, especially in transformative times, is a monumental and complex job. Thank you to the Capital Regional District, the Islands Trust and the Local Community Commission for improving bylaws, donating funds and helping us begin to realize our vision on The Farm, at The Root and through our programming. We honour the stress you bear by being central to a wealth of activity on our island. It’s no small task to hear and digest and navigate competing opinions and desires of our population. Thank you for holding this great responsibility and for doing your best to set us up for success, as we all learn to come together.