Help! Save our farm (status)!
PRIVATE GLENMORE COMMUNITY GARDEN TO LOOSE FARM STATUS!
A ruling was made that Community gardens are not farms. We have an appeal, and may need support.
The City of Kelowna supported the construction of the nearby Hayfield Horizon Garden which not only has waiting lists, but is less than 2% of the size of our private Glenmore Community garden (.205 acres to 10.95 acres). My parcel alone in this private community garden is half the size of this ENTIRE City funded one (to the tune of $74K for 30 plots). There are 68 plots with another 16 for this spring in ours. The smallest plots are 18x75 feet, compared to the Cities 4x6 ft. Enough to seriously grow food enough for a family, or shared by a few. There are no other community garden plots large enough for more than a couple bushels of food.
It is wrong to group this magnificent agricultural project with City funded ones. It is worse to take away the farm status on an Agricultural Land Reserve, which fulfills all requirements as a farm. Prices to maintain this garden will skyrocket, removing the joy of dozens of gardeners, families, and future farmers.
Besides Farm status as being the best way for Government to support farmers, farmers depend on tax breaks as part of their bottom line. Farming should be encouraged to ensure food security - important due to climate change and fuel scarcity. We are highly vulnerable. Remember the flood that closed trucking from the coast, and pandemic food hoarding?
One of the summaries from the 2009 Farm Assessment Review Panel states its purpose:
“ensuring that the property assessment system is fair, equitable, enhances competitiveness and supports innovation and the Agriculture Plan and a healthy future for British Columbia families and communities.”
To have our community garden not listed under farm status goes against this panels mission statement. I am a small farmer, but cannot afford to buy land. I grow, process, and sell enough to exceed the minimum requirements necessary to fit into the income numbers required by CRA. I lease land in this well organized and securely protected community garden due to its reasonable costs as well. About me: I need this space to provide digital educational content showing how to make sustainable, weed free, water conserving, biodiverse rich soil to grow food. My documentary to date is almost ready for some editing, and rough drafts i have been posting on Facebook until my websites are updated. The Need To Grow in me has had 43 years of perfecting deep mulch gardening, 25 years of community garden work,and now I have over two years and many thousands of dollars invested into developing the soil on this land. In the past, I have actively participating in three, and built a wheelchair community garden on the city boulevard adjacent to my house near the hospital. I even got an Occupancy permit from the City, and insurance for it, gaining the Mayors Environmental Achievement Award. My home garden was the first vegetable garden to be in the Communities in Bloom garden tour as well.
As a Farmers Market vendor (almost 10yrs), I am licensed and insured to sell the fermented vegetables i grow on this land. I am doing things to get this community more self sustainable. Asking for help is not part of my repertoire. But i will take what i can get.
UPDATE (3 days later): link