Amisk Farm is an Indigenous-led mixed agricultural operation located on East Moberly Indian Reserve 169 – Saulteau First Nation.
The farm operates as a viable and independent business and in 2022, Amisk Farm launched market sales at the Chetwynd farmers market and with farm-gate sales. The launch was a great success and they plan to significantly scale-up production for the upcoming growing seasons.
In order to extend their growing season and capitalize on shoulder season marketing opportunities, Amisk Farm successfully applied for a $28,320 grant through the BC Hydro Peace Agricultural Compensation Fund in 2023 which assisted in purchasing a greenhouse and caterpillar tunnel.
This infrastructure also allows for nursery production space for fruit and nut crops, space for growing herb and vegetable transplants, and the ability to consistently produce high value, heat loving crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, peppers and pole beans. This project can significantly increase farm income, provide new opportunities for employment and training, and boost food security in the region.
“We are so excited about our season extension project at Amisk Farm,” said Julian Napoleon, owner/operator, Amisk Farm. “The double-walled greenhouse and caterpillar tunnel are going to be the economic drivers of our farm business. We are focusing on providing a diverse mix of produce in the shoulder seasons with a crop plan that will see vegetables available for our local markets from early May until November.”
While the Peace region has a long history of commodity crop production, there is need for more diverse, small-scale operations focusing on meeting the needs of local consumers. Given the limited diversity of fresh produce in this region available over the short growing season, Amisk Farm aims to provide consumers with an abundance of market garden produce over the longest season possible.
