Thank you to everyone who joined us for this event!
– Photo gallery –
– Discover the farm –
Visit a teaching and research farm adjacent to the population centre of downtown Richmond, next to an ancient peat bog.
Regeneration Canada and RootShoot Soils are pleased to bring you an educative event on Tsawwassen First Nation land near Richmond, BC. Join us at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) Farm at the Garden City Lands on September 16th as Drs. Michael Bomford and Rebecca Harbut walk us through the 20-acre teaching and research farm where they focus on diversified, sustainable, regenerative, and organic production practices.
Michael, Rebecca, Andy Smith and Alex Bisset will speak on the history and operation of the land, as well as the farm’s solar powered garden tunnels.
About the hosts
Kwantlen Polytechnic University has a teaching and research farm that highlights diversified, sustainable, regenerative, and organic production practices.The farm has a solar-heated dome greenhouse, three movable high tunnels, beetle banks for beneficial insect habitat, and an innovative approach to carbon-negative farming at the edge of an ancient peat bog. Organic produce from the farm is sold at the Kwantlen Street Farmers Market, provided through campus cafeterias, and donated to the Richmond Food Bank.
– Discover the farm –
About the speakers
Dr. Michael Bomford has taught in KPU’s Sustainable Agriculture program since 2014. He grew up among the expansive grain farms of BC’s Peace River region and earned degrees in plant science and agricultural pest management at UBC and SFU. Michael completed his PhD at West Virginia University, conducting companion planting research. Before returning to BC, he spent 10 years at Kentucky State University (KSU), leading research and teaching programs related to organic agriculture, with an emphasis on small farms.
Dr. Rebecca Harbut grew up in BC and joined KPU in 2013. Rebecca received both her BSc and MS degree from the University of Guelph in Ontario and then completed her PhD in Horticulture at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY where she conducted research on fruit crops. Prior to joining KPU, Rebecca was a faculty member in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Wisconsin where she was the state fruit crop extension specialist. Rebecca is dedicated to working with community groups and K-12 schools in developing increased awareness and understanding of sustainable food systems and the importance of agriculture in our communities.
Andy Smith comes from a long line of farmers, and has enjoyed reconnecting as an adult with his family’s farming heritage. While observing patterns of forced migration from rural to urban communities in north India, he became curious about how to increase the resiliency of small-scale farmers. After moving to BC, this interest led Andy to begin working as an assistant farm manager with A Rocha Canada’s Sustainable Agriculture Program in Surrey. Andy transitioned to the KPU Sustainable Agriculture team in 2019. He is the manager of the teaching and research farm where he enjoys working at the intersection of agriculture and education.
Alex Bisset is an alumna of the Sustainable Agriculture Program. She is interested in urban farming education and how this contributes positively to our communities, which led her to volunteer with organizations such as the Growing Chefs Society, Fresh Roots, and the Astoria Urban Farm. After completion of her degree, Alex worked as a farm assistant and later as the field trial manager at the KPU Teaching and Research Farm. In May of 2023, Alex became the Farm’s Outreach Coordinator. This position allows her to pursue public outreach and help connect the surrounding Richmond community with accessible information about growing food. Alex is running the volunteer program at the farm and establishing a project to extend the size of the learning garden for kids’ camps and other educational activities.
