What is BAA?
The Bowen Agricultural Alliance (Baa) is a fledgling community network with a mission to promote and facilitate the development of local food systems, agriculture, and community building on Bowen Island, British Columbia. On November 26, 2010 BAA was incorporated as a not-for-profit organisation under the British Columbia Society Act.
The mandate of the organisation is to:
- build community capacity and resilience by promoting local, sustainable agriculture and apiculture on Bowen Island;
- promote the protection of Bowen Island’s Agricultural Land Reserve and utilization of those lands for growing food and raising animals;
- encourage appropriate forms of agriculture and apiculture within residential neighbourhoods and on other, rural lands;
- establish, operate and promote farmers’ markets, community gardens and community farms;
- establish, operate and promote local food delivery systems;
- research, publish, teach and share Bowen Island’s heritage of food production skills, heritage plants and seeds;
- conduct public education, community events and fairs related to local food production, community health and nutrition; and
- to establish and operate facilities for the preparation and distribution of food, compost and soil.
Some potential roles for BAA:
- Make groups visible to each other. Encourage knowledge and resource sharing.
- Identify common interests and collaboration potential.
- Help groups to communicate their objectives to potential partners and volunteers.
- Become a clearing house for food and agriculture information (e.g. resource library, online land inventory, funding opportunities).
- Link land owners with potential food growers. Help identify land use agreements.
- Organize workshops, training seminars, lectures, film screenings.
- Identify project opportunities.
