Farm School FAQs
General
Q: What kind of program is the Farm School?
A: The Richmond Farm School is an Extension program conducted by the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems at KPU. Extension programming includes informal education such as our Farm Schools. The Richmond Farm School is intended to prepare people to engage in intensive, small scale, ecologically sound agriculture and otherwise contribute to the advancement of local food systems.
Q: Who is this program meant for and are there any prerequisites?
A: Whether you’re a seasoned gardener looking to take your skills to the next level, a novice farmer wanting to gain more knowledge, or have never planted a seed in your life, Richmond Farm School will take you through a season on the farm, equipping you with foundational skills, knowledge and confidence to pursue sustainable food production. There are no entrace requirements for Farm School, no exams, no assignments, no grades. There are no prerequisites to apply.
Q: What are you looking for in an applicant?
A: We are looking for dedicated individuals who are and food system committed to the program; wants to be a part of the local farming community after the program ends; are dedicated to a lifetime of learning; are invested in local, sustainable agriculture; and are looking to integrate local food production into their life and be part of the sustainable food system movement.
Q: How many applicants do you accept?
A: We will be accepting 24 applicants in 2024. 12 students for our Saturday Cohort and 12 students for our Saturday Morning/Tuesday Evening Cohort
Q: How much is tuition for the first year 7 Month Program?
A: $3,500 + 5% GST
Q: Are scholarships or financial aid available?
A: On a case by case basis, students will be informed of any opportunities as they become available. Scholarsips available to degree program students are not available to Farm School participants.
Q: Do you accept international applications?
A: Yes, but there are a couple things you should know before applying. First and foremost, since this program is primarily hands-on, you must be living in BC and able to get yourself to the farm for classes starting in March. And in that this extension program is not academic credit affording through an institution, international students who wish to take this program will not be eligible for student visas.
Q: What academic recognition do I get upon compilation of the program?
A: You will receive a certificate of completion. Our program is a farmer training program run by the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems, This extension program does not afford academic credits and cannot be transferred towards fromal academic programs.
Q: How do we measure the success rate of the program? What have program participants gone on to do? What are my options?
A: Our goal is that participants finish this program with the confidence to start thier own farming business and/or the desire to engage in their local food systems in practical and meaningful ways to help foster sustainability. Our objective is to expose our students to small-scale, ecologically beneficial, direct to consumer agriculture - and share the techniques, methods, values and ethic that go along with this. We want to foster a strong base of knowledge and passion for our students to then bring that back into their communities and industries. Students have gone on to work on other farms, manage other farms, buy their own land, start their own farm, go into teaching in farming, policy development, not-for-profits, food industry, farmers markets, work for farming businesses like West Coast Seeds etc. And of course we try to hire past students to work with KPU Farm Schools whenever possible. There are many avenues that participants can pursue after completion of the program depending on their interests, experience and aspirations and we consider all of them a “success”.
Q: If I am interested in learning about topics that won't be taught/won't be a main focus at RFS will there still be opportunities for me to learn these topics or for them to be incorporated into the program?
A: Yes of course, we want support your learning and skill building in any way we can. The lower mainland is full of wonderful farmers eager to see more people engageged in ecologically sound, communityt focused farming so we would love to connect you with someone in our network and/or other farms to volunteer at etc. We are also constantly updating the program so we stay up to date with what people are looking to learn. Therefore we welcome the feedback in order to keep making the program better.
Q: What is the difference between the Sustainable Agriculture Degree Program and KPU Richmond Farm School? Do they both cover the same material? Would it make sense to enroll in both?
A: There is similarity between the Richmond Farm School and the Sustainable Agriculture Degree Program however, they are two distinct programs having different target audiences and desired outcomes. Both programs are founded on the same core farming principles and cover the same types of material but have different scopes of teaching and learning. The Sustainable Agriculture degree program is comprised of X formal courses adheres to all KPU academic program requirements and expectations and affords a transcripted academic credential. The Farm School is not a credit bearing program but is designed to be a farmer training crash-course that aims to equip individuals with the requisite foundational skills and know-how wto start farming after one season of intense hand-on learning. The Farm School also affords opportubnity for continued learning and skill building through the Incubator farming component.
Q: Is the farm Certified Organic? Are there any classes on the organic certification process?
A: Yes, the KPU Farm on Garden City Lands is a Certified Organic Farm. All practices that we will teach will be in line with the Organic Guidelines and therefore all the produce we grow will be certified organic. In addition to being certified organic, we value regenerative and sustainable practices that care for the earth and are constanly seeking to improve and to align with agroecological principles. There will likely be a class on the basics of the certification process.
Specific
Q:What is the difference between the Saturday Farm School and the Weekday Farm School?
A: The only difference between the two Schools is the time in which they are offered. We will have a weekly Saturday morning sessions which will focus more on specialty topics that are more likely to include some classroom time, where both cohorts will meet together. The Cohort 1 will meet on Saturday afternoon to complete on-farm market garden learning whereas Cohort 2 will meet on Tuesday afternoon/evening to complete their portion of on-farm market garden learning.
Q: What does a typical day look like?
Answer for Cohort 1: Class time is 9am-4pm - possible earlier start in summer (8am earliest)
Schedule Breakdown:
8:45am - Arrive and get situated
9:00-12:00pm - Morning Class
The subject matter of our morning class changes every week and we will cover things like soil science and pest management. The format of this class is typically a lecture, Q+A and then a hands-on activity and some farm work if lecture wraps up early.
12:00-1:00pm - LUNCH
1:00-4:00pm - Afternoon Class
The afternoon is typically reserved for our market crop class where we get out into the field and do farm work together.
4:00-5:00pm - Harvest (June-October)
At the end of the day we will do a harvest together. If we are harvesting anything new that day, we will come together and the teacher will demonstrate harvesting and processing techniques .
Answer for Cohort 2: Class time is 9am-12pm on Saturday - possible earlier start in summer (8am earliest) and 3pm-7pm on Wednesday
Saturday
8:45am - Arrive and get situated
9:00-12:00pm - Morning Class
The subject matter of our morning class changes every week and we will cover things like soil science and pest management. The format of this class is typically a lecture, Q+A and then a hands-on activity and some farm work if lecture wraps up early.
Wednesday Afternoon/Evening
2:45 Arrive
3:00pm – 6:00pm - Afternoon Class
The afternoon is typically reserved for our market crop class where we get out into the field and do farm work together.
6:00- 7:00pm - Harvest (June-October)
At the end of the day we will do a harvest together. If we are harvesting anything new that day, we will come together and the teacher will demonstrate harvesting and processing techniques .
Q: What happens if I have to miss a couple classes?
A: All participants are expected to attend all scheduled classes. A minimum attendance of 90% of all classes is required to successfully complete this program and receive a certificate of completion. If you do have to miss a class for whatever reason, it is your responsibility to let us know and coordinate with us to catch up on what you missed outside of class time. Unfortunately, by nature of our program being very hands on, there might be things that you miss that we can’t redo for you - i.e if we built a greenhouse in a class you missed.
Q: Is there any homework or assignments that need to be completed outside of class time?
A: No, there will be no mandatory homework, assignments or tests. However some teachers may provide or suggest non-mandatory readings orindependent exercises to help facilitate your learning. We like to say that you will get as much out of the program as you put into it.
Q: I saw that there is a mandatory 30 farm work hours outside of class time and that there is a farm working day on Fridays. Do the 30 hours all have to be completed specifically on Fridays or they can be any day of the week?
A: No, you can satisfy this program requirement any day of the week during daylight hours. The Friday farm working day is optional, but we will have organized tasks for students to do on this day which will assist in completing your hours.
Q: What type of tasks can be completed to fill the 30 mandatory hours? Would working for the Vancouver Farmers Markets, for example, qualify as farmer related activities?
A: The focus and intention of these community hours is around expanding the students farming experience and skills development, preferably through our farm, or another pre-approved farm. We want these hours to directly contribute to supporting the Richmond Farm School site and farming community, that is- the farmers operating on our farm, and the community that we are a part of in Richmond. So working for VFM wouldn’t qualify.
Q: Will I be receiving fresh produce from the farm?
A: Yes, whatever produce is harvested from the Farm School field and is not used for vegetable sales learning purposes will be shared between the students who want to take it home.
Q: What will be provided and what do I have to purchase?
A: We will provide all hand tools and machinery but you are responsible for purchasing all the farming gear you will need for the season - clothing, steel-toe footwear, personal knife etc. We will send an email at the start of the season with our recommendations of what to have and from where it can be purchased.
Q: Will we have time to work on our personal student plots during class time? How do we water/maintain our plots outside of class time?
A: You can come early, stay late or work on your plot during lunchtime, but do not expect to have in-class time to tend to your personal student plots. Outside of class time, it is your responsibility to tend to your plot, staff will not be watering it for you. If you are unable to come out to the farm during the week we encourage you to coordinate with other students to see if someone can water your plot for you. But again, this is up to you to manage.
Q: Can I come out to the farm outside of class time?
A: The farm is open 7 days a week during daylight hours for you to come to work on your personal plots.
Q: Can a friend or family come and assist on our personal plot?
A: Yes, you can bring anyone you like out to the farm on a case by case basis. If you have someone who is regularly volunteering with you then they will need to fill out a form for our records. Please keep in mind that you are responsible for the person / people you bring out to the farm. They are required to follow all on-farm rules.
Q: Can we bring our kids out to the farm?
A: Not during class time, but outside of class that is totally fine.
Q: Can we bring dogs?
A: No
Q: More questions?
A: Email us at farmschools@kpu.ca