FOOD ECO DISTRICT
victoria, Bc

STREET  TO  SKY

Imagine downtown Victoria as an urban food oasis:

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Lush, edible green spaces taking over under utilized rooftops or courtyards, food production woven into our City's fabric.

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​Growing food in Victoria comes with its own unique benefits and challenges. Street to Sky aims to help developers, landowners, strata corporations and urban food growers connect and explore the best practices and common risks often associated with urban foodlands.

Whether you are a landowner, an urban farmer, or someone that wants to get involved, we are here to help! Check out our resources below to gain insight into commercial and community gardens operating on underutilized land!

URBAN  FARMER

Are you an urban farmer who needs access to land or someone who is intrigued by the idea of starting their own garden project? Check out our Street to Sky Guide! Climate change and the effects of COVID-19 have emphasized the need for local food and have revealed just how fragile our food system is. There is an increasing need for local food growers to innovate and find new ways of incorporating urban foodlands into our cities.

This guide was created to help urban farmers navigate the process of starting a commercial or community urban farm on public and private land (excluding smaller backyard gardens). Although the term urban agriculture can include beekeeping and pollinator gardens, the raising of livestock, as well as common and allotment gardens, this guide will focus on growing produce to sell to restaurants and/or provide food for the broader community.

In Victoria, we are fortunate to have some of the most progressive municipal policies in our country to enable urban agriculture; however, farming in a city comes with unique challenges and benefits.

The information in this guide is built upon a consultation process with both urban farmers and local urban landowners, developers, and others in the real estate industry.

Are you looking for urban land?

We are collaborating with the BC Land Matching Program delivered by Young Agrarians, who can help:

• Support new farmer readiness with business planning resources and tools, and agricultural extension information

• Provide hands-on, personalized matchmaking to make introductions and help landholders and land seekers find the most suitable match for their vision and needs

• Facilitate negotiations and help develop a land use agreement

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LANDOWNER

Are you a landowner, developer, or strata member that is interested in supporting the urban agriculture movement? Check out our Street to Sky Guide! Urban farms can be community magnets, creating vibrant and animated spaces. As the Greater Victoria population continues to increase, so does our need for access to local food. Urban agriculture presents the region with a unique opportunity to turn underutilized spaces into thriving food gardens.

This guide was created to help landowners, developers and strata corporations navigate the process of integrating a commercial or community urban farm on your land, new development project or existing building. Although the term urban agriculture encompasses many modalities including beekeeping and pollinator gardens, as well as common and allotment gardens, this guide focuses on urban commercial and community fruit and vegetable farming.

As a landowner, you can assess your site for opportunities to transform your own underutilized land into flourishing food-growing sites. By incorporating urban agriculture into your property you could create benefits for your organization, the local community and the environment.

The information in this guide is built upon a consultation process with both urban farmers and local urban landowners, developers, and others in the real estate industry.

Do you own land in Greater Victoria?

We can help you:

• Determine what type of urban agriculture project would be best for your site

• Uncover and explain the City's urban agriculture policies 

• Create a business case for including urban agriculture into your site

• Provide you with access to our guide on urban agriculture best practices and working effectively with urban farmers (see above)

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Start the conversation:

Connect with us today and tell us what you are looking for and what you have to offer!

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URBAN  FARMER  WORKSHOP

On March 15th we hosted our first Urban Farmer Workshop in collaboration with TOPSOIL! The three hour webinar provided insight into running a farm business in an urban landscape. Topics covered included:

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• Farm design

• Farm management

• Farm operations

• Farm economics

• Revenue streams and selling product

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Additionally, we heard from Young Agrarians on land access and the City of Victoria on urban agriculture policy. If you are interested in urban farming check out our webinar on YouTube.

PROJECT  FUNDERS

This project was made possible with the funding and support from the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia, The City of Victoria and BC Hydro.

The Young Agrarians' B.C. Land Matching Program (BCLMP) provides personalized land matching and business support services to farmers looking for land to start or expand their farm, and landholders interested in finding someone to farm their land. The advantage of working with a Land Matcher is free hands-on support to understand regulations, evaluate opportunities, access resources, and ultimately find a land match. The program is delivered by Young Agrarians (YA) and addresses the high cost of land as a significant barrier for those seeking to enter the B.C. agriculture industry.