Three hundred people regularly descend on Richmond's community gardens with seeds and shovel in hand, ready to quite literally reap what they sow.
Each plot can yield an average of one bag of vegetables and herbs a week, enough to feed a family of four. Well over 100 wannabe farmers anxiously wait for a spot to open up, as all of the city's 10 gardens operate at capacity.
"Food has become quite sexy," says Colin Dring, executive director of the Richmond Food Security Society. "People are beginning to have a better understanding of food. And with things like the 100-Mile Diet coming out of the Lower Mainland and the rise of Jamie Oliver's kitchen on a celebrity level, it's become more popularized."
As issues surrounding climate change and overpopulation see the global food supply dwindle, people have been looking for ways to reduce their ecological footprint and support their local markets.
"They recognize that we're running out of agricultural land worldwide and food prices are getting higher," says Coun. Harold Steves, a longtime farmer, who believes an interest in local food to be more than a fad. "They want to support local farmers. You can no longer trust import food. You have no idea what chemicals are put in it or what you're eating."
On a small scale, community gardens are a direct result, where people produce what they eat and are guaranteed healthy produce at a cheaper price.
Dring says the concept of a community garden can be expanded in an urban context, that it's not too late for Richmond to return to its agricultural base, despite what others believe.
"That kind of thinking assumes, and I think wrongly, that the pattern of suburban development and densification can't be taken back and converted back into agricultural systems," he says. He cites efforts made by the city to put rooftop gardens on, or some form of community garden space for, new developments.
"Some more innovative developers are even incorporating this right into the apartment unit with built-in planters or things like that," he says. "We can turn to places like Tokyo where there are some real creative things happening. So it's a matter of to what degree we want to take it."
Vacant farmland The preliminary results from the Agricultural Land Use Inventory study, done by Metro Vancouver and the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, states 28 per cent of land in the Agricultural Land Reserve is currently not being farmed.
Approximately 1,921 hectares of Richmond's 4,993 hectares of ALR land is not being used for farms. Most of this land has been zoned for agricultural purposes, but has been bought by residential developers in the hopes the city will eventually change the zoning to accommodate for Richmond's projected population growth.
"The developers are hanging from dead trees like vultures," says Steves.
When developers buy farmland, they are not required to build a farm; rather the land generally sits unused. He can, however, build a "farm household", which has resulted in the rise of large mansions, with untouched land behind them.
"Hopefully, the city can take a more progressive stance to make sure the land will be farmed," says Dring. "The suburban sprawl is the area to focus densification and transit. Leave the farmland as it is, or, heaven forbid, expand it. Add more acres. That would be incredible."
But it seems the province is looking to go the other way.
On Wednesday, Premier Christy Clark announced Minister of Core Review Bill Bennett would examine ways to find savings of $50 million a year over the next two years.
Bennett said he will look at the Agricultural Land Reserve - which protects almost five per cent of the province's land for agricultural use - and the Agricultural Land Commission for extra funds.
"It's shocking that's the direction they're planning to take," says Steves, who proposes the city buy the threatened land and lease it back to prospective farmers, longterm.
Another solution for him would be requiring developers pay residential taxes unless they farm the land. Both solutions are to be discussed as Metro Vancouver moves into the next steps following the release of its study, according to Steves.
While Bennett admits he's looking at the ALR to help save the government $50 million, the Minister of Agriculture and Lands, Pat Pimm, said the province would need to add 90,000 hectares of irrigated farmland for the province to regain food security. "If you take that 28 per cent of unused land, along with nurseries, gardens, golf course, etc., it all adds up."
The city is particularly looking to buy land along No. 5 Road and golf courses for agricultural purposes.
A matter of dollars and cents Although more farms would create a more sustainable environment, indulging in the local food movement comes at a price.
"Ultimately, it comes down to dollars and cents," says longtime farmer Bill Zylmans at W&A Farms. "People will look outside if the price is lower. We live in one of the most expensive places in North America. Transportation costs, fuel, wages, cost of living, the input costs are much higher than in other places, so buying local here will always cost more."
Over the years, Zylmans has seen big supermarkets and processors change their priorities from supporting the local family farm to wanting an efficient, one-stop shop where they can get all their product from one place.
"I would like to see (the processors) have a little bit more ruling to support local farms," he says. "Producing 30 cases of something is a big deal for me, but only a drop in the bucket for them. They want to go somewhere where they can get their full order. It cuts costs and is easier to trace back if there are any problems."
Dring, on the other hand, says more farms could help to drive down the prices of buying local. "Farmers can then start co-ops or food hubs, where they can work together to store and pack produce, cutting back on the costs of the middleman. They'd still need to hire people, but it'd become more of a nonprofit, social enterprise."
For Zylmans, the decision rests on the consumer. "Price dictates what people are going to buy. And if local people aren't going to support me, how can I run a successful farm?"
