Resources for inspiration, education,
and local community.

FarmCityFolk

“We connect, empower, and inspire people to strengthen British Columbia’s sustainable food systems.”

We connect, empower, and inspire people to strengthen BC’s sustainable food systems. For over two decades, our team has supported sustainable agriculture and celebrated local food with communities across British Columbia.

We do this by helping farmers, local food producers, and processors; engaging the public in the celebration of local food; actively organizing and advocating around local, timely issues; and collaborating with partner organizations and businesses.

We believe that strengthening the connection between farm and city, producer and consumer, grower and eater, helps build more sustainable communities. Supporting local, sustainable agriculture helps reduce the environmental impact caused by industrial farming practices and transporting food over long distances.

Eating locally year-round means fresher, tastier, and more nutritious food while enriching our experience of how and where our food is grown. Eating locally also stimulates our local economies, ensures our food security, and helps conserve farmland through the best way we know how; by keeping it in production.

Charles Dowding

“From the start, I was keen to respect the life of the soil. Through my experience, I’ve become more and more aware of how soil works, through not working it! I’ve increased my understanding of biodiversity and the need to keep carbon in the soil. Digging, and any form of soil exposure, releases CO2 into the atmosphere. No dig keeps carbon locked in the soil, and carbon in many forms is the building block of soil structure and food. I want to share this message far and wide. My no dig work is contributing to the science of ecology. Since 2021 I’ve been working with a scientist and geologist to analyse the soil in my gardens. We are measuring the biology and chemical differences between no dig and dig beds.”

charles dowding no dig beds

Commonwealth Holistic Herbalism

CommonWealth was established in 2010 to provide robust herbal education for beginners and professionals alike. We offer herbalism training online through our podcasts, live Q&A sessions, and full video courses for dedicated learners. Our online student community is active and vibrant!

grass-fed cows eating in pasture


“We don't need a law against McDonald's or a law against slaughterhouse abuse--we ask for too much salvation by legislation. All we need to do is empower individuals with the right philosophy and the right information to opt out en masse.”

Joel Salatin

JOEL’S BELIEFS:

TRANSPARENCY: Anyone is welcome to visit the farm anytime. No trade secrets, no locked doors, every corner is camera-accessible.

(Terra Dama Farm is located at our home, so we do not share this pillar)

GRASS-BASED: Pastured livestock and poultry, moved frequently to new “salad bars,” offer landscape healing and nutritional superiority.

INDIVIDUALITY: Plants and animals should be provided a habitat that allows them to express their physiological distinctiveness. Respecting and honoring the pigness of the pig is a foundation for societal health.

COMMUNITY: We believe in integrity food. We should all seek food closer to home, in our foodshed, our own bioregion. This means enjoying seasonality and reacquainting ourselves with our home kitchens.

NATURE’S TEMPLATE: Mimicking natural patterns on a commercial domestic scale insures moral and ethical boundaries to human cleverness. Cows are herbivores, not omnivores; that is why we’ve never fed them dead cows like the United States Department of Agriculture encouraged (the alleged cause of mad cows).

EARTHWORMS: We’re really in the earthworm enhancement business. Stimulating soil biota is our first priority. Soil health creates healthy food.