Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Cultivating a growing industry

Creating agri-tourism awareness in the Pemberton Valley

Food is revolution. That message has been part of the public consciousness since Joni Mitchell begged farmers to "give me spots on my apples, but leave me the birds and the bees." In the last 10 to 15 years, what was once considered a radical idea has moved into the mainstream. And the great thing is not only is healthy food revolutionary, it tastes good.

From the middle of May to the first week of October, finding parking within a kilometre radius of East Vancouver’s Trout Lake Community Centre on a Saturday morning is next to impossible. Foodies from across the city flood the area to attend the Farmer’s Market. Commercial Drive hipsters rub shoulders with Westside yuppies while attempting to navigate the restrictive space of the community centre parking lot in search of the ultimate tomato or a loaf of fresh baked herb bread. Occasionally a grumbling, "It was better when it was more of a Drive event" is overheard, but more often what resonates is the whoop of recognition as friends and acquaintances have a chance encounter.

The space is teaming with booths featuring everything from honey produced by cottage apiaries to handcrafted cheeses and organic vegetables. There are craft booths offering pottery, jewelry and fabric goods. Local musicians and kids entertainers infuse the event with a festival feeling. But when it comes down to it, the food, the majority of which is produced on small farms in southern, B.C, is the real attraction. And the folks who are filling the market, many of whom were raised in the era of such prepackaged atrocities as Tang and Hamburger Helper, are willing to sacrifice a Saturday morning sleep-in for a shot at getting "the really good whole-wheat apricot scones."

These environmentally-conscious consumers represent an emerging market that is proving very important to small farming communities throughout the province. With every purchase of Pemberton heritage potatoes or Aldergrove ostrich pepperoni these aging Gen Xers and baby boomers are doing more than demonstrating their culinary sophistication, they are engaging in agri-tourism.

Agri-tourism is defined by the British Columbia Agri-Tourism Alliance as "travel that combines agricultural or rural setting with products of agricultural operation." Claiming a trip to Vancouver’s Eastside to pick up some salad greens in a setting featuring the type of rough hewn product stalls that facilitate farm-gate sales might seem to be stretching the definition of agri-tourism. The farm has made the effort to come to them; the next step is to get them to come to the farm. Sometimes that means simply extending an invitation.

It’s like riding a bike…

Lisa Richardson and Anna Helmer have extended such an invitation to residents of the Sea-to-Sky corridor and Lower Mainland. The two Pemberton women are the engines behind Slow Food Cycle Sunday, which happens this Sunday (Aug. 21). From engaging the various farms along Pemberton Valley Road to insuring that bicycle rentals are available, Richardson and Helmer have created an event designed to increase awareness and open the discussion about agri-tourism opportunities in Pemberton. The day will also demonstrate the connection between agri-tourism and Slow Food, a European movement that has taken hold in North America. Essentially the antithesis of fast food with its emphasis on drive-thru dining and cramming fried food down your gullet, Slow Food is a school of thought that respects the consumer, the food and that land it was grown on.

"Pemberton is one of the last bastions of the family farm," says Helmer. "Less than three per cent of B.C. is arable farm land, so it’s vital we recognize what a fundamental resource this is."

Slow Food Cycle Sunday will put people up close and personal with this resource. Starting from the Pemberton Community Centre at 10 a.m., cyclists will travel up to 25 km up the spectacular Pemberton Valley, sampling and purchasing food along the way.

Greeters will be on hand at the starting point to provide maps as well as the opportunity to sign up for a delivery service. The delivery service will ensure that all purchases made along the route are ready for pick-up back at the community centre at 6 p.m.

Having worked up an appetite, hungry cyclists can partake in the Classic B.C. Summer Farm Luncheon, a presentation of the Seed Artisan Foods caterers, at the 12 km mark. The menu includes locally grown beef burgers, vegetable quiches, Pemberton potato salad, salad greens, bread rolls, fruit pies and tarts. Tickets for the lunch will be available onsite.

Response to the event, from buyers at the Vancouver’s Farmer’s Markets that Helmer attends to tourism professionals, has been enthusiastic.

"There’s definitely a lot of interest around the whole food and wine scene," says Michele Comeau, director of communications for Tourism Whistler. "The few things we’ve done, chefs trips to the farm and Cornucopia, have been extremely popular. There’s huge interest in this – it’s definitely a trend."

What excites Comeau about Slow Food Cycle Sunday is its accessibility.

"I’d like to see more programs that make (visiting farms) more accessible for tourists. I don’t think it’s as formalized as it could be."

While TW has not developed a specific agri-tourism strategy, Comeau says that at the very least the organization will make information on agri-tourism events and operations available.

"This is the type of thing people want to do," she says. "We now have a second farmer’s market at Creekside on Saturdays. To me, that’s an indication of the level of interest.

"I spend a lot of time with media all over the world and they are extremely keen to experience B.C. products, they want everything from B.C. wine to local berries. It’s a huge part of creating distinction."

Comeau points out that a number of Whistler restaurateurs proudly serve Pemberton produce on their menus, clearly impressed by the taste and quality of what can be grown in the Pemberton Valley.

"This event is one great way to showcase the agri-tourism arena for Pemberton, and is certainly the type of thing that Tourism Whistler is keen to highlight as part of the diversity of the experiences for the visitors in this region. Showcasing the farms, people and products is very complementary to having the local products in the restaurants."

David MacKenzie, president of Tourism Pemberton, believes that agri-tourism can be a vital and complementary part of the overall tourism strategy for the community.

"It’s certainly an inclusive part of TP. One of our jobs is obviously to capitalize on the various assets we have in our community and agri-tourism fits in there," says MacKenzie.

"We’re hoping that some of the farm operators will step up to the plate and help in supporting our co-operative advertising and marketing efforts. These are the things we do to attract visitors to the valley."

And while the organization does not currently have a specific plan to develop agri-tourism, it is taking steps towards expanding what the industry can offer both locals and tourist.

"I can tell you that in the very near future we’ll have a farmer’s market. This will be a great draw for people outside the community to come in and get their hands on local produce," says MacKenzie.

However, this initiative will most likely stay in the works until next year, as the growing season is well underway and farmers are already busy with their harvests.

As a tourism professional (he is also general manager of the Pemberton Valley Lodge) MacKenzie’s marketing philosophy is common sense: capitalize on what you have. For a community like Pemberton that means an extraordinary natural environment conducive to outdoor recreation and a unique microclimate capable of transforming the rich, valley floor soil into the perfect growing condition for a vast array of fruits and vegetables.

The farmer and the city slicker

The two partners involved in Slow Food Cycle Sunday are themselves representative of the two groups they hope to bring together: the farmer and the city-dweller.

A self-described third generation potato farmer, Anna Helmer became a full-time farmer six years ago, running Helmers Organic Farms with her parents Jeannette and Doug. Although she was raised in Vancouver, she had been active on the family farm in Pemberton since childhood. A post-university stint managing the produce section of a Caper’s Community Market solidified her interest in organic food production.

Lisa Richardson, raised in a suburb outside of Brisbane, had pursued a career in law in her native Australia. Becoming disenchanted with the profession, she and her husband, an outdoor recreation teacher, set off on an extended North American road trip so they could really contemplate the type of lives they wanted to live. That contemplation, as well as the location of her husband’s family, eventually led Richardson to put down roots in Pemberton five years ago and establish herself as a freelance writer.

The two women met in May at a presentation by Rocky Mountaineer, when the rail tourism company began investigating Pemberton as a possible stop over for its Fraser Discovery tour, which will start in 2006. (The company has yet to make a decision on where the train will overnight.) Part of the Rocky Mountaineer experience is serving guests gourmet meals featuring locally produced food.

Helmer, and her mother Jeannette, were there to promote their organic produce.

"I knew I just had to get to know this woman," says Richardson of her first meeting with the passionate potato farmer.

Soon the wheels were in motion for Slow Food Cycle Sunday.

Reconnecting with our roots

The timing feels ripe for Helmer and Richardson’s event. Over the past decade there has been increased interest in the cultivation of organic foods. Once relegated to the shelves of food co-ops, today a variety of fungicide and pesticide-free products are available in most commercial grocery stores. In keeping with consumer demand, more products are finding their way into the mix daily.

The generation that first encountered such culinary horrors as spray cheese, instant ramen noodles and beverages that proudly advertised "10 per cent real juice" has grown increasingly concerned with the health aspect of the food it eats. Naturally, the preparation of that food has also become of great interest to this segment of the population. In addition, that group subscribes to the belief held by most chefs that starting with the freshest, best quality ingredients can make the difference between a good meal and a great meal.

Being able to discover the source of their food while engaging in another healthy activity, in this case bike riding through the breathtakingly beautiful Pemberton Valley, also serves the needs of this sector that includes a group who are increasingly being referred to as "young seniors."

Combine the health and social interests of the foodie with the post World Trade Centre disaster tourism trend of people taking more trips of shorter duration, closer to home, and it stands to reason that this inaugural event is very well positioned to become the annual event the organizers foresee.

However, there may be another, more abstract reason that will help to ensure Slow Food Cycle Sunday’s success: cultural disconnect and the fulfillment of a primal, visceral human need. In her new book Dark Age Ahead , influential social philosopher Jane Jacobs ( The Death and Life of Great American Cities ) examines the impact that moving from agrarianism to a technology-based future is having on Western Europe and North America. Jacobs sees loss of a culture as an inevitability if this trend continues, pointing out that 10,000 years ago when hunter-gatherer societies gave way to the agricultural age, all that was known prior to farming disappeared.

The development of farming technology has corresponded directly to the dwindling number of family farms. Capital costs for more efficient machinery combined with hard labour costs and a commodities market that pushed down prices to the point where harvesting the product was no longer cost effective, meant that farms were sold rather than being handed down to the next generation. In many cases, selling was the alternative to foreclosure.

The development of suburbs post World War II made things even grimmer. Rural lands gave way to more lucrative housing developments. The result has been wasteful urban sprawl and a society where four per cent of the population is engaged in producing food for the other 96 per cent.

Dark Age Ahead demonstrates that a connection to the earth is essential to ensuring the health of the five major pillars of contemporary society: family and community; education; government representation; self-regulation of the learned professions and technology and science. Jacobs opines that the conscious effort at reconnection with agricultural society can help reverse the erosion of these five pillars that help create stability. And that reconnection can start as simply as taking a bike ride to find some great tasting carrots.

In recent months, Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley has been touted as "Napa North", "Canada’s Provence" and a "place of gastronomical wonders" in both the lifestyle sections of Canadian news media and tourism publications. In the past month, the southern Gulf Islands have been receiving similar coverage. And for the past few years, pieces on Okanagan Valley Wine Tours have become regular features in the local and national press. Why? When marketing meets trend general consumer interest is piqued. Inevitably, the lifestyle is romanticized.

The romantic ideal

British writer Peter Malle has probably done more than any single author to promote the fantasy of making one’s living through agri-tourism. The former Saatchi and Saatchi advertising executive has carved out a niche writing semi-autobiographical books about leaving his stress-filled London life for a more genteel existence as an innkeeper in Provence, France. The most notable of his tomes is A Year in Provence , a book featuring a cast of eccentrics so charming that it makes the reader yearn for a simple country existence.

The reality of making a living through argi-tourism has been documented in a University of California, Davis study examining the impact of agri-tourism on farms in Britain and New England. In 1981, changes to government support for farming forced small farms in Britain to examine alternatives to state subsidies. The answer came in the form of agri-tourism. By 1991, one in five British farms had incorporated some aspect of agri-tourism: from horse-drawn cart tours of their facilities to adding bed and breakfast facilities and marketing themselves as a destination for farm vacations. And while this diversification helped to stave off economic concerns, there were other pitfalls. The majority of British agri-tourism operations had a lifespan of less than five years. Researcher Ellen Rilla, identified alcoholism and divorce as two of the primary reasons for business failure. Rilla did not uncover significant rates of business failure correlating to these two issues in New England. Her report indicates that this is a result of the support that state governments in the region have provided the industry.

The best example of this is Vermont, where the two biggest industries are tourism and agriculture. To help capitalize on the 22 million people who annually crossed the state without making significant stops, the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing joined forces with the University of Vermont to establish the Vermont Tourism Data Center. The centre provides clearinghouse support and statistics to a variety of nature based, historical, recreational and agri-tourism ventures. Today farm vacations, often incorporating other agri-tourism offerings, have become an important sector of Vermont’s tourism marketing.

Jordan Sturdy, owner of North Arm Farms, concurs that running an agri-tourism operation can be hard on the family.

"You’re together all the time. It’s hard to separate work from family."

Sturdy, and his wife Trish have been engaged in agri-tourism for more than 10 years. Their farm offers consumers the opportunity to buy fresh produce onsite, purchase baked goods from the bakery (Note: If you’re a fan of butter tarts, this is the place.), pick their own produce and spend some time visiting the livestock.

While dealing with the public during a workday that can extend upwards of 16 hours can be stressful, Sturdy clearly enjoys what he does. The headaches are the same that come with running any small business, but the rewards are far greater.

"I don’t commute. I’m my own boss and it’s a very gratifying job," he says. "Every year I start with a clean palette and come up with bounty. I feel like I’m truly creating something."

Sturdy believes there is room for market expansion, but feels that it needs to be complementary rather than competitive.

"You can have 100 operations like mine in the Fraser Valley because they have access to three million people. If someone opened another farm like mine across the street, we’d both go broke."

B.C. getting organized

While they can’t guarantee prosperity, the British Columbia Agri-Tourism Alliance can help agri-tourism operators take full advantage of the emerging tourist market. Based in the rural community of Sidney on Vancouver Island, this non-governmental organization was established as a result of an agri-tourism study undertaken by the provincial government in 2001. Today, a board comprised of agri-tourism operators from across the province sets policy for the 50-member organization.

"We’re just preparing for a membership blitz," says acting co-ordinator Glynis Schultz. Shultz worked on the initial study that identified 460 B.C. farms engaged in agri-tourism. And while these will be the people immediately targeted, membership is available to anyone whether they make their living in agri-tourism or are considering doing so. In fact, BCATA offers prospective agri-tourism operators a workbook to help them decide on the feasibility of their initiative.

BCATA also offers a group insurance plan covering members of the public, a quality assurance program and marketing support. The quality assurance program consists of site evaluation to insure that the operation is professional, accessible and provides guests with a safe environment. This accreditation also includes road signage alerting tourists to the proximity of an agri-tourism business. Many of the organization’s benefits are available to non-members at a slightly higher fee. Individual memberships cost $50, while non-profit group memberships are available for $120.

BCATA chair Margie Childs, now a Kamloops resident, worked on an agri-tourism operation in Salmon Arm for 18 years. What started out as a 60-acre farm that used horses, ended up being an equine-focused venture with a commercial kitchen.

"People have been engaged in agri-tourism in B.C. for the past 25 to 30 years," says Childs. "They just didn’t call it that."

Childs is hopeful that the organization will help to formalize the industry and promote the diversity of agricultural across the province. One of the ways BCATA plans to achieve this goal is through community workshops. Organizers are currently developing a schedule and series of workshops throughout B.C., but stress they are more than willing to arrange workshops by request.

"I want to encourage people to contact us. We’re more than happy to reach out and help in anyway we can," says Childs.

A 2003 report commissioned by the organization found that 2.3 per cent of all B.C. farms are engaged in some aspect of agri-tourism. The estimated employment income is between $6.7 million and $12 million. At its most conservative, this represents 2.3 per cent of all wages for the agricultural industry.

Support goes beyond providing accreditation and marketing help, BCATA is committed to making small grants available to agri-tourism start-ups.

The morning we speak, Shultz phones back to announce that the organization has approved granting Slow Food Sunday Cycle $3,200 to offset the free event’s costs.

"It’s a great project," says Schultz. "It fits perfectly with our mandate."

The British Columbia Agri-Tourism Alliance can be reached by calling 1-250-544-0941. Comprehensive organization and membership information is available on their website at

www.agritourism.org

Slow Food Cycle Sunday info can be found online at

www.slowfoodcyclesunday.com or e-mail Lisa Richardson at lisarichardson@mycoast.net


Comments