Farming as an Ecosystem

"I'm getting to know the farm," says Aaron, owner of Snowy Mountain Farm in the Okanagan.

It's a philosophy that flips modern-day farming on its head: he's learning about his farm's ecosystem so he can nurture his trees. It's the opposite of controlling through chemicals - it's getting to know what makes his orchard thrive.

Aaron's regenerative farming techniques are designed to combine nature and agriculture. Instead of mowing down weeds, he intentionally plants clovers, buckwheat, and more to fix nitrogen in the soil and crowd out invasive plants. The thick mat of greenery also acts like a sponge, holding in water in the Okanagan heat. The deep roots aerate the soil and give protection to beneficial insects and microbes.

But it's not all perfect - he loses some stone fruits to birds up high and grasshoppers down low.

There's sacrifice in farming this way: trial and error, long hours, and the complications of bringing food to market outside of the big box stores.

There's also disaster outside of what Mother Nature can bring. His fridges caught fire last year, destroying important, expensive infrastructure. But then human nature kicked in, and he saw a groundswell of community support to rebuild.