Written by Jadi Ng, UBC Community Engagement
For four years, the UBC Farm Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture has partnered with the Little Mountain Neighbourhood House (LMNH) Food Hub to address growing food insecurity in Vancouver’s Little Mountain Community.
Each year, Practicum students donate hundreds of kilograms of fresh produce to the LMNH Food Hub, honing their skills in organic farming while contributing to an initiative that fosters community relationships, food justice, and food sovereignty. Food sovereignty is the right of communities to create food systems that are healthy, culturally relevant, and produced through sustainable methods. This collaboration demonstrates how experiential learning and community partnerships can create a lasting impact and cultivate a sense of community among both students and residents.
The UBC Farm Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture is a hands-on learning program designed for aspiring farmers and individuals looking to explore the intricacies of food systems and food sovereignty. Over four to six months, participants develop practical skills in organic mixed-vegetable production while gaining a deeper understanding of sustainable agriculture.
Since 2020, the Practicum has partnered with the Food Hub, an innovative neighbour-driven initiative which emerged in response to rising food insecurity in the community. The Food Hub is comprised of three key initiatives that prioritize growing food and distributing it to the community: the Riley Park Community Garden Program, the Yard Garden Harvest Project, and the Food Distribution Hub. Produce is grown at their community garden, yard gardens, and in partnership with local farmers and organizations like UBC Farm.
“The Practicum was the highlight of my time at UBC. I learned so many new skills and realized how much more I enjoy hands-on learning. It was great to be able to have a discussion or guest lecture from someone and immediately go out on the field and put that knowledge into practice. The Practicum was a great foundation for the role I’m in now, as someone who had little growing experience prior. While the UBC Farm and Yard Gardens are very different sites, learning about all the different crops, their needs, seasonality, and nutrient requirements from the practicum was very helpful and applies directly to what I do now.”
— Breagha Zakaib, an alumna of UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems and the Yard Garden Harvest Coordinator at Little Mountain Neighbourhood House.
Students at UBC Farm contribute a significant portion of their harvest to the LMNH Food Hub’s Distribution Hub. In 2023 alone, over 1,000 kg of produce was donated, ensuring that local residents have access to healthy, culturally appropriate food at no cost. The partnership is not only about addressing immediate food needs but also about building meaningful relationships between students, staff, and the community.
To learn more about this impactful community-university initiative, we interviewed key people involved in the program. Art Bomke, the founder of the LMNH Yard Garden Harvest Project, shares his motivations and experiences with building the partnership. Breagha Zakaib, a UBC Farm Practicum alumna and Yard Garden Harvest Project Coordinator, reflects on her journey from student to community leader. Maria Valenzuela, Director of Community and Family Resources at LMNH who leads the three Food Hub initiatives, discusses the mutual benefits of the collaboration. Finally, Katherine Aske, UBC Farm Practicum Coordinator, sheds light on how this partnership enriches the educational experience for students.
Starting a Community-University Partnership
Art Bomke, Founder of the LMNH Yard Garden Harvest Project
Art is a long-time member of the Little Mountain community and an Associate Professor Emeritus of Applied Biology at UBC. He currently serves on LMNH’s Board of Directors.
The Yard Garden Harvest Project (YGHP) grows food in the yards of six Little Mountain residents, which is then distributed through the Food Hub’s Distribution Program. This program engages landowners and volunteers to team up to tackle food insecurity.
What inspired you to start the Yard Garden Harvest Project (YGHP)?
During the initial stages of COVID-19, we didn’t know what we were facing with the pandemic. Many of our programs had been shut down, and I became concerned about food insecurity in the neighbourhood. One of my neighbours, Judy, had a backyard that used to be a personal garden. She asked if a local urban farmer would be interested in using it, but they didn’t need the space. I had the idea for Little Mountain Neighbourhood House members to take it on and grow more food to complement what we were already producing at our community garden (Riley Park Community Garden).
At the same time, I was riding my bike around the community and noticed that some of the urban farmyards on 38th Avenue were not being managed. They happened to be Inner City Farms, which was managed by Camil Dumont and Will Valley from UBC. When COVID-19 hit, they lost their restaurant trade and had no income. Because I knew one of the owners there, I asked if we could take over. They introduced me to two other homeowners there, and that was the next step. We were able to at least get our foot in the door and get going.
How did the partnership between UBC Farm and the Food Hub Initiative Programs start, and why is it important for UBC to partner up with local community organizations?
LMNH is a delivery point for the Vancouver Food Bank, so we get a lot of staple goods from them. Our goal for the partnership with the UBC Farm was to add locally produced fresh food to what we receive from the food bank. I thought that we could increase our food supply by partnering with UBC Farm. There was also a funder who was already donating to the Farm and wanted to increase her contribution. I encouraged that some of these funds go into this partnership so that the Practicum could have a little extra funding to help facilitate the program. That also meant additional food for us to extend what we were doing in our community garden and yard gardens.
The second part is that I think a lot of students want to do something besides produce food for boutique markets and high-end consumers. There are a lot of people who have strong social goals and are asking, how do we overcome the barriers to local small-scale farmers helping to feed people in our community? This partnership is a chance to look at some of the complicated factors and do this in a realistic, hard-nosed sort of way. It is important to explore that aspect of local agriculture and being able to support local people who are food insecure. This partnership creates a richer learning environment for students. They learn from interacting with us and our community, but we also benefit from the students’ fresh ideas, tools, and skills. The sweet spot is where our interests overlap with their learning outcomes.
From Student to Community Leader
Breagha Zakaib, Yard Garden Harvest Coordinator
Breagha is a past UBC Farm Practicum student who contributed to LMNH Food Hub’s Food Distribution Program. She graduated from UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems in 2022 with a degree in Global Resource Systems and is now employed at Little Mountain.
Can you tell us about your studies at UBC and why you decided to apply for the UBC Farm Practicum?
Many of my classes in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems revolved around food systems, ecology and the UBC Farm. In my fourth year, I also had a work-learn position at the UBC Farm and really enjoyed my time there. As I got closer to graduating, I started thinking about my future and which direction I wanted to go, and all my answers kept coming back to food. There were many reasons for this recurring interest, whether it be for community and connections, environmentally, politically, or health and nutrition. I had spent a lot of time learning about food systems in the classroom but didn’t have much hands-on experience. This desire to gain skills in food production and the good things I saw happening at the UBC Farm led me to the Practicum!
What motivated you to continue working with LMNH after your practicum?
After my practicum, I applied for the Yard Garden Harvest Project Coordinator position and have continued to work in this role because of the goals and values of the program. Our mission is to create a community-led food system by providing programs and partnerships that prioritize dignified food access and justice, as well as the opportunity to learn skills and build connections. Not only are we feeding more than 80 families in our community, but the community members are the ones doing it. This work and our Food Distribution Hub wouldn’t be possible without all our amazing volunteers and partners, and it is a privilege getting to work alongside and learn from them. Working with the community is so important because we’re creating programs and providing services that directly target community needs.
Growing a Mutually Beneficial Partnership
Maria Valenzuela, Director of Community and Family Resources
Maria has been at LMNH since 2004, where she started as a Family Support Worker. For the past 11 years, Maria has been on the leadership team and is in charge of the Community, Food Hub, and Family Resource Programs.
Can you tell us about LMNH Food Hub’s relationship with UBC Farm and how UBC students are involved?
Our connection with the UBC Farm started with Art Bomke, a UBC Emeritus and soil expert, and his connections to the Inner City Farm Society as well as the local community. When the partnership first started, UBC Farm focused on growing food for the Food Distribution Program, which consisted of 50-60 participants. After our first year, we agreed it would be beneficial for the students to visit the program and meet the community members directly benefitting from the food they grow. This has been a positive addition to the Practicum as well as the program, as students and community members are able to talk to and learn from each other. Community members can also learn a little bit about what students do at the farm, or what produce they are growing, some of which are new!
In our second year of partnership, the LMNH Food Hub staff developed a food survey to see what foods community members wanted us to grow in the yard gardens and at UBC Farm. This way, their cultural preferences are taken into consideration, which is part of the food dignity and food justice values we are trying to bring into the program. This has worked very well, as community members can take fresh locally grown food that they love home. Community members are so grateful to receive the fresh produce each week. Some of them are also dealing with health issues, so we know that the fresh produce helps them in this regard too, by getting very nutritious food each week. These outcomes are shared with the Practicum students, so they can see the impact of their work.
We now have about 80 community members coming to the program (and growing) and I’m positive that part of the reason is that people know we are growing our own food through the yard gardens, and have amazing partners providing fresh, locally grown food for us, such as UBC Farm.
How is this a mutually beneficial partnership?
This initiative keeps evolving and we consider it to be a successful, mutually beneficial partnership. The food grown at the UBC Farm goes directly to our food insecure community members, and we are able to support the UBC Farm with funding through the Regional Community Food Hub grant from United Way, one of our spoke partners. The interactions and relationships built with students and program participants, or students and staff members, are key. The students’ hours are measured through in-kind support, which also helps us with grants and reporting. We’ve also benefited from recruiting UBC Farm Practicum students, including Breagha and her predecessor in the Coordinator role, to join LMNH as staff members. So, this partnership has been invaluable in its impact in many different ways.
We hear from non-profits that working with students can be valuable, but it also involves an extra time commitment to develop projects, onboard students, and provide guidance along the way. Why do you do it?
I’ve been working with practicum students since I started working at LMNH 20 years ago—mostly with students from a variety of departments and units at UBC. Although it is extra work, I’ll admit, I find it so rewarding to take on students. They bring new knowledge and skills and get to learn more about the issues happening within the community. For example, we recently had a student project that gathered research on how we can extend our growing season, which will directly improve our ability to offer locally grown produce to community members further into the fall each year. Students also have the opportunity to participate in hands-on learning experiences that they do not get in the classroom. We’ve heard about how these experiences positively impact students’ mental health and well-being. As well, community members and staff get to interact with students that bring fresh perspectives, research, and enthusiasm. We know from these student engagements that they can often shape students’ career goals and trajectories, as Breagha’s story highlights. It’s a win-win situation.
Empowering Future Growers
Katherine Aske, UBC Farm Practicum Coordinator
As the Practicum Coordinator, Katherine believes in the importance of experiential, community learning on the future of land and food systems. She has been facilitating the Practicum program since 2022, and the past two years alongside Silvana Escalante-Hidalgo, the Practicum Field Coordinator.
What does the UBC Farm Practicum offer to incoming students?
The Practicum focuses on three things: teaching students the technical skills required in small-scale organic mixed-vegetable production, developing a critical consciousness around the food system and an understanding of food sovereignty, and fostering a deep and intentional collective experience among the cohort. The program offers students the chance to learn how to grow food (and sell it at our student market stand) on site at the UBC Farm—a spectacular multifold place right on campus where many people, programs, and other living beings collide. A part of the food grown by our students is donated to the LMNH Food Hub’s Food Distribution Program. Each week, one student from the Practicum also volunteers at the Food Distribution program to support the process, meet the families who benefit from their efforts, and see where the food is going.
What value has UBC Farm discovered through its partnership with the LMNH Food Hub Programs?
The partnership is a way that we can share the abundance of the life-giving unceded Musqueam lands on which the UBC Farm sits with those who need it most. It gives meaning to our growing and allows students to get a sense of all the different ways their food-growing skills can be put to use. We are delighted to be able to contribute to the amazing work of Maria and others at the Food Hub, and to carry on Art’s legacy of fostering incredible networks of community partnerships. In 2023/2024, the Food Hub even successfully secured a grant on the Practicum program’s behalf, in order to continue to support us in continuing to grow food for their Friday Food Distribution Program.
Get Involved
The UBC Farm Practicum is a great foundation of knowledge for aspiring farmers and those interested in gaining a deep understanding of the food system and food sovereignty. From this unique, hands-on learning opportunity, students also gain the practical knowledge to pursue careers that centre their passion for food.
The Practicum and its community-engaged approach has helped students like Breagha to explore food justice work and continues to inspire conversations about how to bridge the gap between farmers and food security initiatives, such as the LMNH Food Hub initiatives. It is a big factor in how Breagha has come into her current role.
“Over the years, I used to bring students out to the community, but now they come to us. It’s a great role reversal. UBC and other institutions are often isolated on a hill, disconnected from the community. This program helps break that barrier.”
— Art Bomke, founder of the LMNH Yard Garden Harvest Project and Associate Professor Emeritus of Applied Biology at UBC.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, partner, or would like to share your yard with the Yard Garden Harvest Program, contact Breagha at ygc@lmnhs.bc.ca.
For more information on the Food Hub’s different programs and how to get involved, visit their Community and Food Hub page.
To apply or learn more about the UBC Farm Practicum, visit their webpage.