Pedro and Jeni

My name is Pedro, 28. I am now living in Toronto with my girlfriend Jeni and we both want to find a place in the Ontario countryside to pursue our dream of living on the land and farming. We met 7 months ago in Kelowna, BC, while we were both working at an organic orchard. We have relocated to Ontario and are now looking for an opportunity to live in a farm. I'm a biologist from Brazil now pursuing a master's degree on applied ecology at the University of São Paulo. I'm also associated with the University of British Columbia in Vancouver as an exchange student since January/2020 - that's why I moved to Canada. Jeni is Canadian, from Ontario. Jeni has a BA in Women and Gender Studies and is passionate about sustainable solutions for plastic-free and zero waste life. We are easy going, we love reading at home, cooking, watching movies and documentaries. Gardening, mountain biking and camping - and now snowboarding - are our favourite hobbies. We enjoy working the land and dream of living with our family on a farm in a quiet and beautiful place. For the last three years I've been studying and doing research about sustainable agriculture, specifically on the question of how we might reconcile ecologically sustainable and socially sufficient food production with just livelihoods for farmers. I've had experience with permaculture, agroforestry and organic farming for the past few years.

Experience

I have both practical and theoretical knowledge about ecological/organic farming. Besides formal education and learning experience during undergraduate and graduate studies, I worked at two farms in Canada from July to December 2020, first an organic orchard and vegetable farm, then at a chicken farm that produced eggs and meat. During my undergraduate studies I worked mainly with agroecology, ecological restoration and environmental education as an intern and then as project coordinator for the CFH Forest Environmental Education and Recovery Project, hosted by the University’s Permaculture Study Nucleus. The CFH Forest is a 5ha green area on the central campus, relevant to the university community and the surrounding region, as an area for pedagogical activities, leisure, rest and contemplation of nature. As it was in a state of environmental degradation, with compacted soil in several areas, erosion and water streams without riparian vegetation, the project's main objectives were 1) to promote environmental regeneration through agroforestry systems and permaculture principles, and 2) environmental and agroecological education through short courses, workshops and joint efforts. I could experience both hands-on work with agriculture, particular agroforestry, and educational activities with the campus’ and the broader community. During that time we published some educational and communication materials too (e.g., booklet; Facebook page). In my last undergraduate year I participated in a research and extension project - Network of Agroecological Agroforestry of Southern Brazil (Rede SAFAS) - that aimed at forming a network of people and institutions and at systematizing experiences with agroecological agroforestry in Brazil, during which I wrote an honors thesis on farmers’ agroforestry education. For my master's research I have been dedicating myself to studying the possibilities of realizing strong agricultural multifunctionality. The field study for my thesis was done in in the municipality of Ipero, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, a context with a strong presence of family farming – agroecological and conventional – embedded in a matrix of a few urban centres and a relatively big conservation area (a National Forest). I lived in the community for a few months and could be in close contact with the local farmers, public managers at the National Forest and the city’s secretariat of agriculture, tourism and environment, and other public agents at the state’s Sustainable Rural Development Agency. Of particular importance I consider my interactions with Terra Viva, a local NGO that partners with family farmers for technical support, organic conversion and certification and the commercialization of their products based on solidarity economy principles. That unique experience allowed me to live and understand the complexity, the practical challenges and the opportunities – both for governance and for agricultural practice - that exist in contexts similar to that where matters of farmers’ livelihoods, food security, agricultural sustainability, broader nature conservation and justice intertwine. The practical knowledge I developed during this master's degree has strengthened the realization that cooperation between individuals, communities, non-governmental organizations and government is key to good socio-ecological outcomes and the flourishing of agriculture.

Partner(s)

I will be farming with my girlfriend Jeni. She is also passionate about farm life and has had practical experience working at the same farm as I have in Kelowna, BC. She is 25 years old and holds a BA in Women and Gender Studies from St. Francis-Xavier University.

Farm Vision

We envision starting small with a vegetable garden integrated with egg production for sale at local markets, restaurants, CSAs or other direct-sales channels. We also would love to have horses, goats and cows for milk and manure.

Relationship with Farm Owner

Honestly, we are open to different opportunities and don't want to limit what forms of partnerships we can develop. Ideally we would like to find a farm owner we could partner with to slowly develop a business of organic/ecological vegetables and eggs. We would also love to have a cabin or a place for ourselves on the farm. Because we don't have a lot of capital to invest in the beginning, we would appreciate if we find people willing to also get involved in the business to share some of the risks. We would contribute with our labor and knowledge, and also some investment if necessary. We want to own land, so the possibility of buying the farm or a portion of the land in the future is a good one.