Food Security & Sovereignty
Food Security
Over the past 8 years, we have been addressing regional food insecurity while focusing on the sustainability of the food system into the future. At ERC we continually research and innovate to advance organic farming. We call our innovations ERC’S ORAA (Organic Reciprocal Agriculture Advancements). We strive to not just meet organic standards, but to find creative ways to adapt to meet the challenges of the day, to support the environment, food security and sovereignty for generations to come. The results include groundbreaking food forest production design and practice standards that are applied to all of our growing endeavours, including ERC’s educational demonstration Community Food Gardens & Forest (CFG&F) and the ERC Community Food Box Program.
What is ERC’s ‘ORAA’?
ERC’s ORAA encompass a holistic approach to farming that encourages continuous innovation and improvement to agricultural practices for the benefit of our local community's environmental, social, and economic well-being. For example, we do not use sprays that can negatively impact biodiversity by killing beneficial insects and pollinators. We are conscious of reducing microplastic contamination our plastic footprint and microplastic contamination of our soil. We do not use plastic ground row covers for weed control commonly used on certified organic farms. Essentially, we do our best wherever possible to work with nature to find innovative solutions to food production challenges that benefit other growers, the environment and our community.
Each seed in ERC’s Community Food Gardens & Forest is planted with a purpose: to nourish vulnerable community members and pollinators, all while effectively diverting food waste and diminishing agriculture’s carbon footprint. The result? A sustainable, organic food system where all members of our diverse community – furry, finned, winged, web-footed and human alike – can share in an abundance of healthy local food.
Food Sovereignty
At ERC food sovereignty is about empowering people and communities – farmers and eaters – to make the important decisions about the food you eat and how it is grown. Our focus is on the right of Indigenous Peoples to have access to land to grow healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods. At ERC’s educational demonstration Community Food Gardens & Forest and Native Plant Educational Demonstration Gardens, in collaboration with Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers, community members, and Circle of Indigenous Nations, we are growing together to provide local-eco-type native plants for food, medicine and ceremony.
ERC’s Community Food Gardens & Forest
Step into the magic of Elk Root Conservation’s educational demonstration Community Food Gardens & Forest (CFG&F), where food production and planet protection come together in perfect harmony!
Over the past 8 years we have been addressing regional food insecurity and supporting food sovereignty, all while focusing on the sustainability of our food system into the future. At ERC we continually research and innovate to advance organic farming. We call our innovations ERC’s ORAA (Organic Reciprocal Agriculture Advancements). We strive to not just meet organic standards, but to always exceed standards and improve. To find creative ways to adapt to meet the challenges of the day, to support food security & sovereignty for generations to come. ERC’s ORAA comes together to create a groundbreaking food forest production design and practice standard that continues to evolve, adapt and we hope, inspire.
In 2025, the CFG&F at ERC produced over 5,000 kgs of vegetables, and we estimate an additional 10,000 kgs of ground berries, tree fruit and nuts will be produced seasonally at ERC as we ramp up production in the next 3-5 years.
Funders & Sponsors: Government of Canada, RDCK (Local Government), West Coast Seeds, Slocan Valley Co-op, SC Carts, Savoy Equipment Ltd., Rad Bikes, Everlast Greenhouses, Nelson Home Building: Home Hardware, West K Concrete, Mainjet Motorsports
ERC’s CFG& F also includes garden plots dedicated to applied research, innovation and sharing food literacy through the ERC’s Inclusionary Education Program. School-aged children, youth to seniors, and other vulnerable community members are all welcomed to learn about ERC’s ORAA practices all while working together to feed our community members. From seed to plate, it is a seamless cycle of abundance, feeding body, mind, and spirit!
Community Food Box Program
With the Community Food Gardens & Forestinitial infrastructure installation completed in March 2024, ERC was able to launch the Community Food Box Program in July 2024. Its pilot year was a huge success and continues to grow! In collaboration with Circle of Indigenous Nations (COINS), and Nelson Community Food Centre (NCFC), ERC’s Community Food Box Program currently provides fresh, healthy produce grown on-farm on a weekly basis to 200+ multi-generational families in need of a helping hand cost-free during the spring, summer and fall. The abundance of produce is so great, we are also able to provide COINS with storage vegetables in early winter grown on-farm, including cabbage, carrots, beets, potatoes and winter squash to distribute cost-free. We are currently sourcing funding to build a root cellar for additional food storage and aggregation during the winter months.
The success of the Community Food Box Program in 2024 was just the beginning step of ERC’s mission to reduce food insecurity in the Kootenay region and beyond. In 2026, our goal is to continue expand the Community Food Box Program geographically in collaboration with COINS, NCFC, and other community groups to service the great need that has been identified throughout the Kootenay Region.
