Hannah Wittman featured in Vancouver Sun article: Vancouver sees increase in farms despite downturn in region

Hannah Wittman, CSFS Academic Director

Our Academic Director Hannah Wittman was featured in the Vancouver Sun: “Vancouver sees increase in farms despite downturn in region”, talking about an increase in farms in Vancouver.

As for the future of urban farms, Wittman doesn’t see a permanent shift toward agricultural use for land in the city. The majority of land area is leased and 38 per cent of farms in Vancouver are on borrowed land, and the use of that land can change as plots are developed or used differently by their owners.   “In a sense, urban agriculture is a great interim use of the land, but it doesn’t presume any permanent contribution to food security,” said Wittman.   The hope is that urban farms increase food literacy, particularly where food comes from and how it is grown.   “What we hope is that it generates greater concern for the decline in farming in very urban areas. When people see how hard it is, how little food is produced, they will start to pay attention to the loss of farms in Richmond or in Delta, where land is being taken out of production due to speculation,” she said.