BC's Young Farmers Rare in Aging Sector

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BC's Young Farmers Rare in Aging Sector

[ http://thetyee.ca/Video/2016/03/09/Young-Farmers/ ]

Short film explores new generation choosing life on the land.

Submitted by Tyee staff, 9 Mar 2016

As farmers in Canada continue to age, there's the question of who will be growing our food.

The government has been trying to attract young blood to the sector. But most young people aren't interested, and many aging, longtime farmers are often reluctant to sell farm land as its getting scarcer in Canada.

According to 2011 census data, the average age of farmers in the country is 54 and on its way up. B.C.'s farmers are Canada's oldest at an average age of 55.7.

Age of the Farmer shows young farmers who are bucking that trend. Filmmaker Spencer MacDonald visits some farms in B.C. (and a few on the American West Coast) to hear why they're choosing a life on the land in his latest short film.

In the words of one young farmer, it allows them to escape a world with a lot of "talking and not doing anything" for a lifestyle with "a tangible result."