A couple of decades ago, it'd be rare to study for four years, get a degree and then settle on a vast stretch of land to till the soil.
Farming was instead largely relegated to another, slower, time, before globalization and mass development.
But now a new generation of farmers is cropping up, those who've never existed in a predeveloped world, in a way to get in touch with the rapidly disappearing land.
"We moved too far in the opposite direction," said Emily Pearson, a farmer in her mid-20s who works at Urban Edibles. "As a generation, we've grown up aware of the rapid growth of cities and our struggle to feed the world. Now, we're starting to ask, 'well, how can I feed myself?'"
In the Lower Mainland, and Richmond in particular, a growing number of young people are turning to the farm and careers in the agricultural sector, as a way of supporting a more sustainable environment.
Four years ago, Kwantlen University opened the Richmond Farm School, a 10-month program providing training to such aspiring farmers with a focus to sustainability.
Growing up all too aware of a laundry list of the world's problems -the affects of climate change and overpopulation; the consequences of chemical use on one's health and the environment; and the overall need to reduce one's ecological footprint - are some of the reasons prompting this change, according to Pearson.
For Pearson, who has aspired towards a life in agriculture since she was a child, her ultimate dream would be to live in a self-sustaining Richmond.
"I think it can happen," she said. "We can bring the animals back and really localize the food here. I've decided to not take my food off the island. I want to grow it in Richmond and use it to feed Richmond."
In May, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency changed the definition of local to mean anything grown within a province or 50 kilometres outside a province, as opposed to anything grown within 50 kilometres of where the food is sold.
The change, which will take two years to enact, was criticized for being signed to allow big companies to jump on the local movement and label their food as local, even if it comes from north Washington, for example.
"I'd like it to stay within the borders of the country, but whether we define community as 100,000 people or as within the province, we should all be working together to support it."
Instead, Pearson sees the change as an opportunity to discuss labeling in general, as local can be vague and confusing, particularly with foods that contain a variety of ingredients.
"I'd rather see something more specific, like B.C.-grown, or Okanagan-grown," she said. "But having it incorporate the whole province also helps the farmers up in northern B.C. where there aren't as many people up there who will buy their product."
Unlike these northern communities, the Lower Mainland has an abundance of people that farms can serve, making Pearson's dream of a self-sustaining Richmond more of a possibility to her. "We can have really successful farms, but we have to work together and look to co-ops for the production side," she said. "Being a young farmer, we've come from this competitive environment, growing up in a capitalist economy where competition drives it. But rather than compete with each other, we need to use our competitive nature to push forward together.
