A movie that the Nama team and I really enjoyed and found very inspiring was, The Biggest Little Farm, a documentary that captures the eight year journey of John and Molly Chester to create Apricot Lane Farms in Moorpark, CA. In the movie we all get to see firsthand the many daily challenges that farmers face in pursuit of their craft of supplying food for all of us!

I was really inspired by how the Chester’s embraced a permaculture inspired approach to Apricot Lane Farms. This is the same methodology that my family and I are using on our 18 acre orchard and farm project that we have begun on Vancouver Island. Permaculture is all about creating a diverse ecosystem where everything works in harmony.

Bill Mollison, the Tasmanian son of a fisherman who first coined the term in 1978, defined permaculture as:

“The conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive systems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of the landscape with people providing their food, energy, shelter and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way.”

I walked away from the movie with a greater appreciation for the blood, sweat, tears and years of relentless effort that farmers everywhere do in service of their local communities. When we visit and buy from the farmers at our local farmer’s market, we are “buying local” and supporting family farmers who are dedicating their lives to providing us all with food security. We have all learned firsthand from the recent supply chain disruptions caused by the global pandemic, that having food grown in our local area, by farmers that we know and trust, provides us all with food security and resilience.

I am grateful for all of the farmers that I have gotten to know at my local farmers market and grateful that the Chester’s have shared their story with us all and inspired others to follow in their footsteps.