If I’d been asked at the beginning of the semester, I would never have been able to predict the ways in which this school year has changed my dreams and aspirations. A big part of that the fact that this was my first year in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, which I have been applying to for three years now, from the Faculty of Arts. Having all of my courses centred around what I came here to study has been incredibly edifying. (This may also be due in part to the fact that I have completed first year basics such as the hundred-levels of chemistry and math.)

I have officially quit my long-time summer job as a firefighter, and decided to stay here in Vancouver for the summer in order to pursue work in this field. (Which is terrifying, by the way – I have not had to face so many rejected applications in years.)

I am applying to a couple of the farm internships, and also looking into other volunteering options around the city with organizations and some local community garden projects. My goal is to start working towards a career that is related to agriculture. This is not something I had previously envisioned myself doing, but now I think that one day I would like to have a farm of my own. I grew up on a farm, and I loved it, but I never thought I’d like to become a farmer. Now I think I would. However, that is not to say I am going to begin farming immediately – I have a lot more to learn.

I am interested mainly in the growing and eating parts of the food system (the fun parts!), and how they connect to people. My dream now is to one day have a farm that is economically viable – no easy feat, from what I gather. The goal would be to have a multi-layered system, almost an “old-fashioned” homestead type of farm. The economically viable part would come from some kind of re-connection for people and food, which is where the “a lot more to learn” comes in.

I am currently studying Sustainable Agriculture, and through my undergrad degree would like to get a solid grasp on the tangible and tactile elements to farming: the soil science and growing basics, and the general knowledge required to run a complex farm system. I am now considering doing a master’s, which I would focus on the nutritional side of the food system, and then perhaps a Ph.D in the psychology of food. The idea would be to then integrate these pieces into a farm that re-connected people to their food. I feel that a lot of our problems as a society, from diet-related diseases and chronic conditions, to body-image issues, stem from a disconnect with our food and the natural cycles.

I would like to have a place where people can come and re-connect with their food and the natural environment that it comes from. From the lettuce to the cows and the chickens, and everything in-between. I think that getting your hands dirty is one of the best therapies there is, and I would like to give people a chance to do so. I have started looking into whether farms such as this exist, and there are several related to reconnecting youth, especially those who have trouble conforming to society. There aren’t too many farms, from what I can find online, that seem to be related to giving people a chance to get away from their fast-paced, pre-packaged lifestyles and learn about how things get to their plates. This is what I would like to do. Finding a niche and a piece of land to do this on is another matter, and for now I still have a couple years to get my undergrad, but this course, and this school year in general, has given me an exciting vision for my future, and a big goal to work towards.