YA Business Mentorship Network – lovebowl farm

Hi. My name is Laara Sadiq. I operate lovebowl farm on half an acre of leased land in cattle country. The farm occupies the traditional and unceded territory of the Secwepemc (Armstrong, BC). I’m a South Asian woman with first generation immigrant parents from Pakistan. I hold a legacy of colonization in my bones, so where I’m situated has a huge impact on every choice I make for the farm. Being in community, being curious, listening carefully, sharing the wealth – all very much in my front brain, as I align stewarding the land with establishing a self-sustaining farm that will put healthy, affordable food on family tables.

I come to farming as an artist, single Mama, activist and cook.  I’ve always fed people. Whether it’s a gaggle of hungry teens, or friends conveniently popping their heads in my open door at suppertime, it’s how I express love for my tribe. A watershed moment years ago got me thinking hard about food security, what it really meant, and what I could do about it. I spent the next six years urban farming and beekeeping on the coast, learning from others and teaching myself.  Growing for my family in a community garden led me to establish a farm and CSA program in the parking lot of an arts organization, and an apiary on the roof of a theatre – both collaborative projects. I knew I wanted to have a small farm of my own outside the city once my daughter Lotus left the nest.

I have a complex relationship to land ownership so I reached out to the Young Agrarians about their Land Matching Program. Cut to the summer of 2023. While working at The Caravan Farm Theatre – a place I have a long artistic history with – a piece of land popped up on Kijiji. It was impossibly gorgeous: bursting apple trees, native wildflower species my bees would love, and loads of potential for farming. I knew in my gut that this was the place. I connected deeply with the ranchers Ken and Darlene, a warm couple who didn’t balk when I told them that I intended to tear up a chunk of the land to cultivate a vegetable field.  In a matter of weeks, I packed up my life in the city, got my kiddo off to uni and moved out to the farm with just enough time to break ground and get my garlic in before winter hit. By the skin of my teeth!

I’m staring down the barrel at a major transition from urban micro-farming to long-term succession farming on a very streamlined budget. Honestly, the field work is the part I know. But the business planning, marketing and day to day record keeping is new to me. I wanted lovebowl farm to be healthy, both financially and ecologically. I contacted Melanie Buffel and arrived at the YA Farm Business Mentorship program. Wow. From the weekly business webinars, to the insights of my farming cohort – who come from such different walks of life and wrestle with the same questions I do – it’s been an incredible learning curve to ride.   It’s also connected me with mentors Kimi & Kareno, who run Sweet Digz Farm on Musqueam territory.  They’ve been guiding and supporting me through smart crop planning, multi-year thinking and contingencies. I’m super grateful to them for their big fat hearts,  wicked humour, and the wealth of knowledge that they generously share with me. And to all my local farmers who’ve taken the time to have a coffee and walk the land with me – mad respect for your advice and radical kindness. 

This season I’m growing mixed vegetables and raising honeybees using intensive, earth friendly practices.  I’m learning about the land I’m growing on. I’m the sole proprietor, so I’ve created a business plan that’s modest, manageable and sturdy, looking ahead to increments of growth in successive years. I’ll run a 12-week CSA program, followed by a couple of on site fall markets to finish off the season. Because  community is such a huge cornerstone in my life, I’m creating space for the farm to host some pop-ups and a fundraising event for Palestinian families in Gaza. There’s also a PWYC initiative for single Moms, because I get it.  A percentage of harvests will go back into the community without money changing hands, subsidized by paid shares.

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is setting up a new farm on a fixed budget, with eco-sustainability in mind. There are two sizeable infrastructure projects that’ll help the farm run smoothly, but I’ve had to get creative about sourcing building materials, tools and production supplies. Just about everything on the farm is upcycled, recycled, repurposed or salvaged, keeping waste and my consumer footprint down to a dull roar. Not easy, but it’s been important to me to do it that way. Over the past few weeks (with the help of some seriously good people), deer proof fencing and a water moderated greenhouse went up. Irrigation has been laid in (that’s still keeping me up at night!). In early May I’ll transport and settle my coastal bees in their new home. I think they’ll be happy as clams out here. Seeds will be sown. Harvest boxes will be packed, bellies will be filled.

When I’m asked what I want for my farm, the first thing that comes to mind is a Stihl Rollomatic mini chainsaw… I’m only half kidding. But seriously, I want it to be more than just a place to grow food. I’m cultivating a community hub. An open space where folks can feel welcome when they come to collect their weekly harvest boxes. Maybe stay for a minute. Walk through the field, see where their food is growing, have a conversation with a stranger.  Good food has the power to bring people together.  When it’s accessible and affordable to all, it makes community strong, egalitarian and brave. The YA Business Mentorship Program is giving me the resources to make that happen. Shukriya.

For info about what’s going on at lovebowl farm, contact me at lovebowlfarm@gmail.com

This program is made possible in BC with the generous funding support of Vancity and Endswell Foundation.