I first met James while coordinating the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Coupon Program during its 2013 pilot year here in Cowichan. Like many, James was thrilled with the program that offered low income families and seniors the opportunity to shop for fresh local meat and produce, while getting to know the farmers and connecting with the community around healthy food. This is definitely his motivation for becoming a farmer.
With horticulture roots that date as far back as 250 years, it might not surprise you that James, with his wife Cammy and father Barry, started up Lockwood Farms in 2011. But having grown up in a farming family in England, wasn’t what initially drove James to follow in his family’s footsteps. It was his involvement in running a sustainability group while attending (then) Malaspina University that he became more educated and aware about nutrition and environmental issues. That prompted him to try out a small garden of his own which really sparked his passion.