I'm Starting a Farm, Where do I Begin?

The first round of discussion at the "Environment & Agriculture" table began with each participant listing their "burning question or issue" then once all issues were recorded the group began going through them with suggestions and further comments. The first issue to come up was "I just moved to Galiano Island to start an eco-friendly farm - where should I start?"

Here are the suggestions that came up (in order of the round):

• Start with potatoes
• Roger Pettit has some seed potatoes
• Consult the book "Edible Forest Gardens" on growing without disturbing / abusing the native ecoystem
• Consult with folks who already already doing it
• In terms of larger scale food production, employ mapping as a tool...ie, Who has a wetland that could produce rice?
• Incorporate traditional knowledge
• The community could provide better information on traditional knowledge
• Start and then analyse the symptoms that emerge on your operation or garden over time
• Adjust to the current weather conditions instead of strict planning before hand

And remember...!

"A farmer is someone who is outstanding in their field" (so you're already a success if you just get out there!)

Are you a new farmer? What other questions do you have?

Do you have more experience? What other advice would you give?