Image Credit: Kamloops Food Policy Council

By Kent Fawcett and Sadie Hejazi

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Join us for a heartfelt Celebration of Life honouring Butler Urban Farm

Mar 18, 2025 | 3:00 PM

AFTER NEARLY A DECADE of serving as a food commons, providing barrier-free access to nutritious fresh produce, educational opportunities and a sense of community for residents of Kamloops, the Kamloops Food Policy Council (KFPC) is closing our Butler Urban Farm (BUF) project as of April 1, 2025. The difficult decision comes in response to a combination of challenges, including the upcoming sale and development of the land and the ongoing struggle to secure sustainable funding to maintain farm operations.

A Legacy of Food Security and Community Building

The Butler Urban Farm was founded in April of 2015 by JUMP Kamloops (Jubilee Urban Members and Partners), then known as JUMP Gardens. In March of 2015, Glenn Hilke, founder of JUMP Kamloops, stumbled upon the vacant property at 127 Clapperton Road and immediately envisioned its potential to be a productive garden. Glenn approached Joe Butler of Butler Auto and RV who owned the property and pitched his idea. The Butler family immediately gave JUMP permission to turn the site into an urban farm. This group of volunteers quickly rallied and put forth a strong effort to prepare the site for spring planting.

Initially, the space was filled with tree stumps and had potentially contaminated soil. The City of Kamloops pitched in to remove the stumps and a neighbour offered up his front-end loader to pull away the top layer of soil. Todd Mountain Ranch donated manure and compost and Ron Fawcett lent a truck to transport the matter to site, which took 20 trips. After hearing about the project, a community member offered to till the site for free. Seeds were donated from the Smorgasboard and Home Depot, and a group of six dedicated volunteers worked tirelessly to get planting. BUF quickly became a hub for mutual aid, community building, and hands-on education around food production and urban agriculture. In 2020, JUMP asked KFPC to take over stewardship of the garden to ensure its long-term sustainability and growth. This is when the project now known as Butler Urban Farm began to take shape. This transition brought renewed energy and funding to BUF, with initial grants from Peavey Mart, Interior Savings, BC Interior Community Foundation, the University of British Columbia, and United Way British Columbia. These investments facilitated significant farm improvements, programming and staffing to maximize the farm’s impact.

Our goals for the farm were two-fold. We wanted to grow as much food as possible in the space but also provide opportunities for people in the community to engage with us in growing that food. Through our network, we were able to connect with some enthusiastic gardeners looking for space to grow crops. Everything we grew was organic. We draw from principles of permaculture and regenerative agriculture to create rich, productive soil that can produce nutrient-rich vegetables. BUF has also hosted numerous educational workshops, school field trips and community events, fostering a deeper understanding of where our food comes from and empowering individuals of all ages and demographics to take charge of their own food production.

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: Sometimes we realize we've made a huge blunder when it's too late to change it

Mar 20, 2025

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Time to stop hanging on Trump's every word

Mar 19, 2025

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: Attracting Doctors and Nurses to B.C.

Mar 19, 2025

Over the years, BUF has grown and donated tens of thousands of pounds of fresh produce to local organizations such as The Loop and The Mustard Seed, ensuring access to nutritious food for individuals and families in need.

Mounting Challenges

Despite its meaningful contributions to our community, Butler Urban Farm has faced growing challenges in maintaining operations. The most pressing challenge has been a lack of consistent and sufficient funding to adequately staff the farm and sustain programming; KFPC has had to operate the farm at a deficit.

In the fall of 2024, we were notified that Butler Auto and RV were selling the property and it was going to be slated for development. With this transition looming, the future of the farm was becoming increasingly unclear.

Community Dialogue and Reflection

On January 14, 2025, the KFPC hosted a roundtable where BUF volunteers and community partners came together to discuss potential solutions for the future of the farm, with hope that the property could continue to serve as a productive community food resource.

Representatives from City of Kamloops, Gardengate, Kamloops Naturalist Club, Master Gardeners, Mount Paul Community Food Centre, Kamloops Immigrant Services and Interior Health joined us at the Stir and over Zoom. However, due to the uncertainty surrounding the future of the land, no organization stepped forward to take over responsibility.

This group of individuals that had been dedicated or connected to the farm over the past 10 years collectively came to the decision that it was time to bring the program to a close. We wrapped up the roundtable feeling a deep sense of unity and support for our transition.

The Path Forward and Honouring the Legacy

KFPC is now focused on ensuring the closure of Butler Urban Farm is thoughtful, respectful and beneficial to the broader food security ecosystem of Kamloops. This month, we will be working with community volunteers to clean up the property and formally close the project as of April 1, 2025. Stay tuned for announcements on when and how you can lend support. Over the next year, the KFPC will work to redistribute the remaining assets and advocate for the inclusion of food production spaces in the future development plans.

For the KFPC’s evolution of the Butler Urban Farm program, we will compost this energy into our Food Sovereignty Education Program, shifting our focus from frontline food production to upstream advocacy, education and community engagement around food sovereignty and food security. BUF has built deep roots in the relationships, knowledge and commitment to mutual aid that have flourished there. We strive to let these core elements of BUF live on through future partnerships, educational initiatives and urban agriculture advocacy.

As BUF comes to a close, we invite the community to join in celebrating Butler Urban Farm’s legacy. Friends of BUF, new and old, are invited to our KFPC Network Potluck on April 2, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at The Stir, 185 Royal Ave. Together, we can honour a decade of growth and sharing, and nurture the seeds of future food security in Kamloops.

——

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.