BAA workshop draws big crowd
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Updated: November 06, 2009 8:35 AM
This fall the members of the Bowen Agricultural Alliance (BAA) have been stepping up their efforts to get people involved in initiatives revolving around local food and agriculture.
Judging by the turnout of about 70 people at the first Bowen Island Food and Agriculture Workshop on Sunday (Nov. 1), they have done a great job.
“We didn’t know how many people to expect. One of the people there, Heather Pritchard from Farm Folk/City Folk, has been to many different community gatherings,” said BAA spokesman Stuart Cole. “The last one she attended took place on Pender Island and there were about 12 people there. She was blown away not just by the number of people who showed up on Bowen but also by the level of interest, passion and dedication. By the end of the day, we were totally enthusiastic and excited but also a bit overwhelmed.”
The meeting was facilitated by islander Chris Corrigan and followed the “Open Space” format that worked well for the many different people and groups who brought a wide range of topics to the table. The primary goal was to identify a small number of agricultural initiatives that would be meaningful to the community.
Cole’s master list includes farmer/grower cooperation, composting, increased access to land with agricultural potential, education about agricultural and food issues, community gardens and more.
“There was a wealth of ideas. People talked about beekeeping, aquaponics, a square meter challenge to get people to garden in a small space and a seed exchange. We discussed a fruit tree project where people who own fruit trees offer the fruit to the community to do something with it,” he said.
“There was a real spectrum of people there in terms of interest, interaction style and experience but I’m not aware of any big controversy. People were incredibly exited to find that broad level of interest in these things,” Cole added.
Other than an interest in things agricultural, the participants had something else in common: they wanted to leave the room with a plan of action, something that they could start working on right away.
Cole was especially enthusiastic about the potential for collaboration. He said, “There was so much energy between the different groups. And we explored how we might help each other. For example: How might the community garden interact with the farmers market?”
“The discussion about the farmers market had a lot of focus. There had been many attempts in the past and we’ve learned a lot about the different factors we need to consider such as the coordination between growers, the question of space, times and logistics.”
The community gardens work group came away inspired and has scheduled a meeting for Nov. 8 at 10 a.m., at 1700 Bowen Bay Rd. The meeting is open to the public, anyone interested in attending is asked to RSVP by email to Karen Wristen (kwristen@hotmail.com).
Another item of interest that had been identified in a questionnaire conducted by the BAA was composting. At the workshop, the need of a concerted effort in this area was reinforced by Zero Waste, a local group dedicated to reducing garbage.
The second BAA workshop has the aim to identify the two or three most promising ideas and follow up with project planning and commitment.
It is scheduled for Nov. 28 and Arzeena Hamir of the Richmond Food Security Society will attend. The location will be announced on the BAA website at www.BowenAgAlliance.ca.
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