Local Projects
Several collaborative initiatives led by the Agricultural Alliance member organizations are helping to increase local food production on Salt Spring Island. Here are some of the projects underway and more are being started every year.
The Abattoir
The Salt Spring Abattoir is a community facility managed by the non-profit Salt Spring Abattoir Society. It provides custom slaughter service for both red meat and poultry. The Abattoir was built to remove the need for farmers to leave the island for slaughter service, ensure humane treatment of animals, and increase local food production and food security. The facility opened in late 2012 for poultry and 2013 for lambs with beef and pigs added in 2016.
In 2021 grants from the BC Investment Agriculture Foundation and the Community Works Fund allowed for the purchase of an Ecodrum in-vessel composter to turn abattoir waste into a valuable soil amendment. This is being set up at Burgoyne Valley Community Farm in partnership with the Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust and the CRD. It is expected to be operational in 2022. Another grant of $222,525 was awarded to the Abattoir from the Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program (CERIP) to expand the facility to increase processing capacity. Work is currently underway and expected to be completed early in 2023.
The Salt Spring Abattoir has openings for part-time employees especially in the busy fall season.
For more information contact the Salt Spring Abattoir Society.
Learn more...
Advocacy
Government policies and regulations can unknowingly impact the viability of farming on Salt Spring Island. The Agricultural Alliance represents agricultural interests to all levels of government and responds to new policy proposals. We write letters to decision-makers, participate in discussion forums and meet with local, provincial and federal staff on matters pertaining to food production on Salt Spring Island.
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A list of our recent correspondence is available here:
June 2022 -
Recipient: CRD Salt Spring Island
Subject: Salt Spring Saturday Market Society - Click here
June 2022 -
Recipient: CRD Salt Spring Island
Subject: SSI Fire Protection District Firehall #1 - Click here
April 2022 -
Recipient: Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee
Subject: SSI Local Trust Committee Proposed Bylaw No. 526 - Farm Housing Project - Click here
June 2021 -
Recipient: Islands Trust Council
Subject: Trust Policy Statement Bylaw - Click here
April 2021 -
Recipient: Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Subject: Endorsement for an organic agriculture and food system extension service in BC - Click here
Grow Local
In 2022, the Grow Local Project investigated marketing opportunities for farmers on Salt Spring Island (SSI) to create new avenues to buy and sell farm products locally. Scaling up agricultural production on SSI requires both investment in coordination capacity and infrastructure to receive, store, process and distribute crops efficiently.
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Grow Local partnered with Local Salt and their online marketing and sales platform created opportunities to streamline vendor and customer business transactions. Working with the existing school meal programs at Salt Spring Elementary offered the best avenues to scale up the sale of locally grown produce. In addition, support from the Salt Spring Farmland Trust enabled food storage trials at the Root, the community local food hub.
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The next step is to secure funding for 2023 for ongoing coordination between farmers and prospective buyers. The Grow Local Project was initiated by the SSI Agricultural Alliance. Funding was provided by the Island Coastal Economic Trust and the Capital Regional District (CRD) at the recommendation of the CRD’s Community Economic Sustainability Commission.
More information about the Grow Local results is available in the final report "Grow Local: An Initiative Supported By The Salt Spring Island Agricultural Alliance (April 2022 - November 2022) or contact Nick and Polly at growlocalssi@gmail.com
The Root
The Root is Salt Spring’s first and only food hub of its nature, a community facility located on Beddis Road that will support SSI farms and food producers. It is managed by The Farmland Trust and was identified as a critical need in the 2008 Area Farm Plan. The land was generously gifted to the project by the Slegg Family in 2015.
The three-story facility, barn, and surrounding grounds have the mandate to improve Salt Spring’s ability and capacity to produce, process, preserve, add value to, and distribute locally grown produce and food products, as well as serve as a centre for education, demonstrations, and activities. From seeds to seminars, this highly anticipated hub’s mandate is ultimately focused on increasing sustainable local food and agricultural resilience for the Island’s population.
The new Root facility has:
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Temperature-controlled storage
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Fully-equipped, commercial-grade processing kitchen
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Salt Spring Seed Sanctuary Seed Bank
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On-site gardens and food forest
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Space for educational and training programs
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Solar energy, rainwater catchment systems, and EV charging stations
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Housing on-site for the facility manager
Final construction issues and completion of the Root facility are actively underway. Watch for the launch of this valuable community resource in Fall 2022!
Composter
A composter at Burgoyne Valley Community Farm is currently under construction. Stay tuned for more details soon!
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Background reports on the SSI Central Composting Facility: