Something is growing anew on the former Expo lands besides condo towers. Vancouver’s largest urban farm is the brainchild of Michael Ableman and Seann Dorry, co-directors of Solefood Farm.

Located in an empty lot on the north side of False Creek, Solefood Farm has a free three-year lease from Concord Pacific on two acres of land. This urban farm will be above ground with nearly 3,000 wooden framed boxes fitted onto pallets and filled with organic soil.

Solefood Farm’s aim is to train and employ community residents to set up urban farms and manage organic produce grown on leased urban lots. It hopes to establish a more direct relationship between people and food production and eventually serve as a model for a self-sustaining enterprise. Both Vancity and the Radcliffe Foundation are major financial contributors to this project.

Solefood Farm plans to have a total of five urban farms in Vancouver, and will employ 25 Downtown Eastside residents and 4 farming apprentices. The produce will be sold to farmer’s markets, restaurants, wholesalers and individual consumers. 10% of the food will be donated to DTES organizations and workers will receive free food as well.

It’s an ambitious project and if successful may encourage more permanent city areas to be used for this purpose. The transitory nature of this location is brutally emphasized by the towers looming behind and their inevitable march onto the site when the lease expires.

Don Richardson