Farmer2Farmer is an annual event for farmers and growers of the capital region. This gathering is an opportunity for networking, community building, and capacity building.
When: February 28, 2019, 11am-5pm
Where: Saanich Fairgrounds 1436 Stellys Cross Rd, Brentwood Bay
Register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/farmer-2-farmer-2019-tickets-55090583418
Learn More: http://farmer2farmer.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/2210907435903348/
Program
Thursday, February 28th
11am – Climate Projections and Regional Adaptation Strategies
11:45 – Farmer Roundtables
12:30 – Local Lunch
1:30 – New Entrants and New Thinking about Climate
2:15 – Concurrent Workshops
4:30 – Closing
Session Information
Climate Projections and Regional Adaptation Strategies
An overview of local climate projections and an introduction to the regional adaptation strategy work of the BC Ag Climate Action Initiative with Foster Richardson.
New Entrants and New Thinking about Climate
Now that we know the climate is changing, how does that inform our decisions? This session looks at climate change in four ways: 1) when is climate an immediate factor in future planning; 2) how to be less vulnerable to climate impacts; 3) how to minimize climate related disruptions; and 4) what are the triggers for transitions. Facilitator: Dr. Liese Coulter
Workshop A – Thinking about Water
Part 1 – Efficient Irrigation with Andrew Peterson – The presentation will start with basic water rights. Then discuss why we irrigate and how water is stored and consumed by the crop. Different types of irrigation systems will be discussed and their efficiencies. Drip irrigation will also be discussed since they are designed differently than sprinkler systems. The talk will end with discussions on irrigation scheduling and water storage capacity requirements for irrigation.
Part 2 – A Keyline Water Management Perspective + Free GIS Tool Demonstration for Water Planning with Tayler Krawczyk – This session will begin with a brief overview of the ‘keyline design’ system of whole farm planning. We will then explore some of the powerful free online resources we have in the region to better understand soil types, water flow, well capacity, irrigation demand, and landscape topography. We will visit some of the participants’ farms via free online GIS-software and address challenges related to water management.
Workshop B – Emergency Preparedness
Workshop C – TBA
Speakers
Andrew Peterson
Andrew graduated from UBC with a degree in Agricultural Science in 1986. For the next 20 years he worked in the irrigation industry focusing on agricultural design and sales. In 2006 Andrew joined the province to work for Ministry of Agriculture as a Water Management Specialist. He is a Certified Irrigation Designer and a Professional Agrologist.
Dr. Liese Coulter
Dr. Liese Coulter returned to Victoria from Australia where she worked in climate change adaptation research and communication across topics from agriculture to health. She looks at the pathways paved by the decisions made as we consider what climate change will bring. Her work supports adaptation actions that combine climate change narratives and future thinking. She is currently a Mitacs Science Policy Research Fellow with the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture.
Tayler Krawczyk
Tayler Krawczyk, with his wife Solara, co-manages Hatchet & Seed, an edible landscaping & ecological design company based in Victoria, BC. Since 2011, they’ve been transforming barren, boring landscapes into thriving edible ecosystems. As a Regrarians® Team Member, he also provides a design-consulting service to farmers, ranchers & land-managers looking to develop climate-adaptive, regenerative farms on Vancouver Island. They led a three-year ‘Keyline Water Management’ research & monitoring project from 2015-2017: www.crkeyline.ca.
This annual gathering is organized by the Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable (CRFAIR).
For more information about CRFAIR go to: crfair.ca
Questions? e-mail engagement@crfair.ca
or call 778-678-8450
