A farmer in Kelowna working to sew the seeds of sustainability to feed generations to come says the government and industry need to strive for change.
Deol explained because of the warm weather, the trees were not dormant and were filled with water. When the cold snap hit, the water froze, killing the buds that had started to form. Now, without a commitment to sustainability and change from both the government and industry, Deol fears farming will be pruned from her family tree.She dreams of passing the farm on to her son but does not know if the future of farming will include small-scale sustainability-focused operations like There and Back Again. She also said that farming has a rich history in the Okanagan and people travel from all over for the fresh fruit that the region produces.
In response to the cold snap damaged fruits from this past winter, the province pledged $70 million for farmers to replant damaged crops with “climate change resilient varieties.”“Farmers are very thankful, but I do feel as though it is a Band-aid solution,” said Deol. Instead of uprooting acres of established trees, Deol is advocating for government investments into diversity and sustainability to keep small community-focused farmers in operation.