We are Ben and Roland and we've been working for the past 8 years to develop a model regenerative farm and education centre on Pender Island, BC in response to our growing alarm at the speed of the climate crisis.

After bouncing around a couple of farms in the last five years, we finally negotiated a three-year lease on a former clear-cut, with rocky soil, new barn and not much else. 

Our lease started February 15th. We moved in March 2nd. On March 11th, the UN declared a global pandemic and less than a week later stores started to close in our part of the world. 

In a way, the current pandemic underscores the importance of this project. Now, more than ever, we all need to be building our resilience skills and design robust, self-sustaining systems ASAP.

We had hoped that farmstays would be a main part of our project and business model, but that's not going to happen this summer. On top of that, we still need to fully provision a farm starting with nothing during a global lockdown. 

That's why we are asking for any an all housewarming (or farmwarming?) presents you want to send our way. We will use any donated money to kit out a workshop, build our first chicken tractor and pig shelter and buy garden tools and supplies to start a veggie patch. 

If you happen to live on Pender, we would also be grateful to be able to borrow or buy any old workshop or garden tools you have sitting around unused. We need everything from hoses to hacksaw blades.  

For more information on our project, visit our Web site @ highgrove.farm