Farm # 1
Production: vegetables, berries, fruit, herbs, flowers and seed crops.
This farm accepts couples.
This farm offers a stipend.
This farm cannot take children
Apprenticeship term: min 2 months, prefer whole season February through end of October, we operate during the winter, take winter apprentices
This farm has signed SOIL's host charter
Learn all the skills you need to operate your own farm. Originally homesteaded in 1910, this 15-acre certified organic farm has 3-4 acres in cultivation growing a variety of vegetables, fruits, berries, herbs, flowers, as well as a large seed collection for our seed company. We have six greenhouses (3 are moveable). You will gain the knowledge and confidence to manage a major field and greenhouse (overseeing crops from seeding to harvest) and take part in selling produce at farmers’ markets, through a box program, and to local restaurants. You will also learn about seed production and marketing through both on and offline platforms.
The owner of the farm has farmed since 1990 and is an experienced teacher who has taught farming courses at the local college. Our farm team is amazing and you will receive training from multiple farmers with many different and complementary skills to share.
Apprentices live together but have their own room in a lovely old farmhouse, in our tiny house or in our cob house. The farm is near the small town of Sooke with beautiful beaches and a great community.
Location: Sooke, B.C. 45 km west of Victoria (50 minutes drive).
Farm #3
Production: 700 bale a year organic hay field, 3 acres of Market Garden for CSA and farmstand. Garlic products; frozen, dried and garlic salt. Preserves of jams, jellies. Plant seeds, nuts, plant starts and eggs.
This farm accepts couples.
This farm does not offer a stipend, but has the potential for profit-sharing
This farm could possibly take a parent with children
Apprenticeship term: April through the end of October
This farm has signed SOIL's host charter
We love to welcome folks who are interested in Regenerative, Homesteading, Learning to Live in Community, Permaculture-inspired Farming, Reclamation Construction Building, Nature Exploration and just plain FUN Loving individuals! Come discover a different way - living out on the edge!!
This beautiful, Permaculture inspired farm is family stewarded and community driven. Our Market Garden is no till with organic practices. Our beliefs and goals are to be regenerative with our resources, self-sustaining in our practices to minimize our dependency on the grid and to mitigate any negative impacts on earth.
We aspire to be a self-sustaining, multi-generational community. We welcome other farmers, individuals, families and entrepreneurs who wish to contribute and co-develop all aspects of this gorgeous farm. We foster an appreciation for everything. The land and its natural environment are of the utmost importance and this deep gratitude extends to each of us, the larger community and the spirit within each of us. Another founding principle is “to exceed expectations of giving to one another” and to hold each other up in support in order to attain a truly fulfilling life for our community members.
Location: Saltspring Island
Farm #4
Production: Education! Vermicompost, biochar, compost tea, eggs, vegetables, fruits, berries, plant starts
This farm accepts couples.
This farm may accommodate children
This farm offers a stipend
Apprenticeship starts: April 15th
Apprenticeship ends: October 31st
This farm has signed SOIL's host charter
The age of fossil fuel powered industrial civilization is rapidly coming to an end. What comes next is up to us. Learning how to grow enough food to feed each other without a dependency on fossil fuels and global supply chains is our number one priority. If you're ready to help build self-sufficient and resilient communities in the midst of the escalating crises, then we'd love to hear from you. Forest Gardens is inviting skilled, passionate and dedicated humans to apply to join our Core Team for this growing and learning season! Positions include Builder, Soil Builder, Farm Manager, Food Forester, and Kitchen Witch/Wizard.
Help us expand the farm business, build mountains of living soil, plant food forests, evolve the homestead and learn about Permaculture Design. Spend a season immersed in the West Coast wilderness and surrounded by a supportive and enthusiastic team of regenerative pioneers.
We are excited to be launching an income sharing system with Core Team Members this season. Please inquire for more details.
The Core Team is invited to participate in weekly Permaculture Design classes, with full attendance and completion of a design project earning you an internationally accredited Permaculture Design Certificate at no cost at the end of the season.
Location: Saltspring Island
Farm #7
Production: Berries, Eggs, Fruit, Milk, Yogurt, Cheese, Beef, Lumber, Vegetables
This farm accepts couples, and may be able to accommodate children
This farm offers a stipend
Apprenticeship term: Feb 1 to October 30
This farm has signed SOIL's host charter
An opportunity for an enthusiastic and skilled family, couple or individual to be part of a mixed organic farm community. The 300 acre homestead on Cortez Island provides a healthy environment and teaches us to be more self sufficient. A large garden, greenhouses, a woodlot and sawmill, orchard, milk cows and beef cattle, goats, pigs, laying hens, and an alternative energy system. As many as six families and varying numbers of Wwoofers participate in the farm year-round, creating a dynamic, diverse and enthusiastic community. Great access to hiking, biking, swimming and fishing!
We invite you to a world where people live in rhythm with nature and its seasons, grow and process their own food, raise their own livestock, make a small ecological footprint, using many modern tools for doing so (like alternative energy and some pretty good bicycles). We invite you to come and live with us and learn with us.
Location: Cortes/Whaletown BC. Cortes Island.
Farm #13
Production: 14 different kinds of mead, honey, herbs, mead vinegar, preserves, eggs, rabbit, winter vegetables.
This farm can accept couples
This farm offers a stipend
Apprenticeship Term: 04/01 to 10/15
This farm has signed SOIL's host charter
Most people who set foot on Hornby Island fall in love with the place. Natural beauty is everywhere and although the island is small, it has many different, unique ecosystems. We like to think that our mountaintop and valley bottom farms meld well into the landscape. Our natural world supplies great bounty and we are always foraging for natural medicines, foods and materials. We are an Oceanside community and our lives revolve around the marine world. Boats, kayaks, swimming, snorkelling, clam digging, oystering etc. are typical activities. Hornby is famous for its hand built architecture and anyone interested in learning all about different building styles using natural and found materials will be thrilled. It's really one of the best places on Earth! We host a fabulous music festival each summer (normal years) on the island and live music happens daily somewhere on the island in the summer. We like to think we take permaculture to a whole new level and are always looking for ways to avoid outside inputs into our systems. Peace and tranquility are in abundance and Hornby is a great place to recharge batteries and let your imagination fully develop.
Location: Hornby Island
Farm #20
Production: Apples, eggs, vegetables, bees, fruit
This farm accepts couples
This farm will not accept children
This farm offers a stipend
Apprenticeship term: accepts year-round; no minimum length but prefer longer terms
We are a very unique and amazing 2.5 acre demonstration orchard, featuring about 210 varieties of tasty apples, including about 60 varieties of red-fleshed apples (the largest collection in Canada). Chickens roam the entire orchard and are a valuable part of the growing situation. We grow larger apple trees here and use a rainwater collection system to irrigate this certified organic orchard.
We are located in the south east part of Salt Spring and are about 2km from Ruckle Provincial Park, which is right on the ocean. There are lots of trails in Ruckle, many right along the water, as well as plenty of others on this island. Ocean beach accesses exist very close also. The Grandmother Tree, a 700 year old Douglas Fir, is located right behind the house. Swimming happens in 5 local lakes or in the ocean, if you can take the cold water.
Location: Salt Spring Island
Farm #24
Production: Certified Organic Blueberries, Garlic and Hay
This farm accepts couples
This farm offers a stipend
Apprenticeship Term: 3/15/2021 to 9/15/2021 (dates are flexible)
This farm has signed SOIL's Apprenticeship Host Charter
Our Farm is near a lake for swimming, kayaking, etc. There are bikes and a canoe available.. We are just a few minutes from the ocean. Our Cabin has a modern kitchen and bathroom, and a large deck to sit and watch the farm life from. Food is provided, to be cooked in your own space, and we eat together often! We use mainly fresh garden veggies, seafood, and organic local farm products. The farm is 26 acres, a historic farm since the 1880's. Although apprentices will learn all aspects of fruit and vegetable growing, the focus will also be on the Blueberry operation learning skills from the ground up - including growing organically, disease and pest management, scouting, picking, weighing, grading, packing and delivery. As well, marketing and management skills will be taught. Our focus is also looking for someone who might want to continue as the farm handyman/manager or possibly lease operator in the future.
Location: Alberni Valley (mid-Vancouver Island)
Farm #33
Production: Garlic, tomatoes, cucumbers, salad, carrots, blueberries, black currants - 47 different fruits and vegetables
This farm accepts couples.
This farm may be able to accommodate children
This farm offers a stipend.
Apprenticeship term: June 1 to September 30
This farmer has signed SOIL's host charter
Our farm is a mixed organic farm situated 6km north of Courtenay. We have a 2 acre market garden with 6 hoop houses,1 acre of blueberries and 1 acre of mixed fruit and nut trees. We grow a diverse range of vegetables and fruit through the shoulder seasons. Interns will learn from and be supervised by our Farm Manager. Learning will happen in the field as well as in a classroom setting. Once Interns have confidence in a task they will be expected to carry out that job without constant supervision. Interns and the Farm Manager live in a separate house from the farm owners. The accommodations include a living room, kitchen, two bathrooms, and laundry facilities. Each person has their own bedroom. Weekday lunches are eaten together and each intern will have 1 day a week that they’ll prepare food for the group. Breakfast and dinner are the Interns’ responsibility and Intern meal sharing often occurs. You'll have access to lots of farm fresh veggies plus vegetarian ingredients provided by the farm. Interns will get to see the full production cycle from planting a seed to the farmers market. We distribute our produce to a 150 share CSA, 3 farmers markets, and restaurants. Our Farm Manager will guide the weekly tasks but Interns are expected to be active participants in the success of the farm by being self-motivated, enthusiastic, and team players.
Location: Courtenay, BC
Young Agrarians Apprenticeship Program
Are you an aspiring farmer looking to gain skills and knowledge that match the ecological and regenerative values you hold? Are you feeling the farming bug, but not quite ready to take the plunge and launch your own business? Young Agrarians and our network of exceptional mentor farmers are now offering advanced, hands-on farm apprenticeships in regenerative agriculture. Participants with a serious interest, curiosity and commitment to full-time farming are invited to apply.
Our apprenticeships are a full immersion program that puts you into the heart of running a farm business, day in and day out. Our carefully selected family of farm mentors have diverse expertise and skill sets – their farm philosophy is guided by a holistic framework that recognizes the connectedness of the land and people. Although farm activities will be different on each farm, the core activities will involve care of soil, pasture and livestock, farm direct marketing, and using sustainable practices for cereal, grain, and vegetable production.
As part of the program, you will also visit other farms that are hosting apprenticeships. This gives you the opportunity to learn from other ecological farmers and make connections with other apprentices in the program. Learn more about the Young Agrarians Apprenticeship program and apply here. Host farms will conduct video or phone interviews with select applicants. Confirmation of successful applicants will be in late February/early March. Apprentice start dates vary by farm; however, are generally in April or May.
Compensation: Room, board, and wage/stipend packages vary from farm to farm. Housing is safe, secure and the internet is available on each farm. Enjoy access to farm fresh food and some shared meals.
Listen to what former apprentices have to say about their farming experience with YA!
Application deadline: Jan 31