Harvesting Ideas and Ideals
Sole Food Street Farms started as an idea to see change happen on the ground for some of the most vulnerable residents of the Downtown Eastside (DTES) in Vancouver, BC. Michael Ableman had been feeling itchy to get back into the trenches of purpose-driven farm work like that explored on the grounds of California’s Watts and Goleta communities. He had relocated to Salt Spring Island, BC and he was farming his land over on the island when he responded to a call from the municipality of Vancouver for ideas to assist people from the DTES. That is when the idea for creating an agricultural space to help the DTES community got started. Ableman establishes they aren’t social workers, counselors, or rehabilitation specialists.
The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is one of Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhoods, and the historic heart of the city. It has also been labeled as the poorest postal code in Canada. However, the low-income neighbourhood is a community which its inhabitants call home.
Sole Food Street Farm is there to “provide a meaningful opportunity which will hopefully trigger other positive changes. Sole Food was never intended to be just another farm. Its unique mission is all about the people we employ.” says Ableman.
Ableman has been a farmer and agricultural practitioner for over 40 years. Over these four decades he has written five trade publications. He is a staunch advocate for social and ecological issues as they relate to agriculture, food security and social equality. He is also a renowned lecturer and consultant who has won a number of awards such as an environmental leadership award from the governor of California, the SUSTIE award from the Ecological Farming Association, a Food Hero award from Eating Well Magazine, and the Land Award from the Real Estate Foundation of BC for his work on Vancouver’s Skid Row.
See Changemakers was fortunate to talk with Michael Ableman about his current 2020 publication, Farm the City; A Toolkit for Setting Up a Successful Urban Farm, the addendum publication to Street Farm; Growing Food, Jobs and Hope on the Urban Frontier.
In this interview podcast, See ChangeMakers talks with Michael Ableman about his beginnings as a farmer, what led him to his current location and career vocation in Canada.He also discusses what he hopes the future will look like.
Sole Food Street Farms is a network of four urban farms located on 5 acres of reclaimed land throughout downtown Vancouver. They produce over 25 tons of fresh produce per year including tree fruit from a large urban orchard. With this, they supply more than 30 area restaurants, sell at five Vancouver farmers markets and operate a community supported agriculture program. They also donate $20,000 of fresh produce to community kitchens and employ many people seeking a better means from the DTES community.