What is regenerative agriculture and why it might be the future of farming in B.C.

On a late summer day in Chilliwack, subtle changes in wind direction bring the sweet scent of flowers, then dill. The air hums with the sound of bees. Dan Oostenbrink leads a small tour of people through his regenerative farm, which supplies food to the Local Harvest Market on the same property, as well as to several restaurants.

Across 25 acres, vegetables are mixed with flowers and fruit and nut trees, while greenhouses hold more sensitive crops such as turmeric and figs, as well as a “worm tower” that helps create the compost that is used to nourish the farm’s soil.

“I’m in my 14th growing season, and I think I’m just getting a feel for it,” said Oostenbrink.

When he began farming with the idea of selling his food at his own market, he hired an agronomist who supplied him with plastic row and ground covers, fertilizers and chemicals. A man he hired to help on the farm agreed to work for him if he agreed to go smaller and spray-free on one acre. The high quality of the food that grew from that plot convinced Oostenbrink to rethink his entire business model.

He said he follows regenerative principles, but relies heavily on his own intuition and knowledge gained through each growing season.

“I don’t need a complex soil test,” he said, comparing his methods to a painter making a painting. “I rely on my senses. Taste, smell, sight all tell me it’s healthy.”

The farmer is thoughtful when asked about the market forces that generally make his vegetables more expensive than those grown for large supermarket chains, including increased labour costs.

“We’re not really comparing apples to apples,” he said. If the produce from his farm has more nutrients than those grown through monoculture farming, as studies have shown, it may be unfair to compare their prices.

“Nourishing food is more than just filling your stomach,” he said.

Wade Godin, founder of the Honest Farmer, a regenerative grocery delivery service that connect Fraser Valley farms and other regenerative growers with consumers in Metro Vancouver, said he hopes to “work himself out of a job” as regenerative food becomes more common.

The service began last year when his own regenerative egg farm in Chilliwack struggled to find a route to get its eggs to market. Many regenerative farmers are more interested in farming than marketing, he said, and their food generally doesn’t have the uniformity, long shelf life, or vast quantities to be sold in a grocery store.

Godin and his team visit each farm twice a year to ensure they are following sustainable practices that aim to restore and enhance the health of the soil and ecosystem.

“We always tell them that we understand farming this way takes more time and effort, and we ask them to really consider all the costs … and to price according to the value,” he said.

Through the Honest Farmer subscription service, both Treur’s dairy products and Oostenbrink’s vegetables have also found exposure and a wider distribution.

Customer Malene Falch Colotla, who lives in West Vancouver, said regenerative food has value to her beyond basic nutrition.

She has started to think “holistically” about the food system and the barriers that prevent people from understanding where their food comes from. As supermarkets and supply chains separate people from the source, there is less understanding of how farms can improve ecosystem health, she said.

“We are an integral part of the food we eat.”

gluymes@postmedia.com