Graham Island East Coast Farmers Institute
The Graham Islands East Coast Farmers Institute is a non-profit organization committed to providing public education related to agriculture and farming, gardening, farmer’s markets and more. Made up entirely of volunteer members who are also farmers, ranchers and growers on Haida Gwaii, the Graham Islands East Coast Farmers Institute seeks to promote growing, farming and sustainability through a variety of events and outreaches, including the Tlell Farmers Market and the Tlell Fall Fair. The Graham Islands East Coast Farmers Institute works closely with local schools and groups to provide educational programs and to help establish policies and procedures regarding farming, gardening and agriculture. The Institute also operates a cold storage facility and helped to build and continues to maintain a permanent facility for housing the Tlell Farmers Market.
The Tlell Fall Fair is a member of BC Fairs and Exhibitions. The Tlell Farmers Market is a member of the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets. The Graham Islands East Coast Farmers Institute was the recipient of the BC Agriculture Century Farm Award for its contribution to agriculture on Haida Gwaii.
Meet The Graham Islands East Coast Farmers Institute
Meet The Graham Islands East Coast Farmers Institute
The Graham Islands East Coast Farmers Institute is a grassroots organization with a history that dates back to 1912. It was then that a group of farmers, ranchers and growers from the Graham Islands, both private and commercial, banded together to form an institution that would serve the needs of agriculturalists and to help further their goals and ideals. Throughout its decades of existence, the Graham Islands East Coast Farmers Institute has provided community agricultural education, encouraged farming and gardening on a variety of scales and helped to develop policies regarding agriculture on the islands.
The Institute is managed by a committee which made up of a small group of its membership. The committee helps to provide direction and oversight. The Institute also has a number of sub-committees which are responsible for particular tasks and events. One of these is the Tlell Fall Fair committee. It helped to launch the first Tlell Fall Fair in 1982, which has since become an annual event. Another sub-committee helped to start the Tlell Farmer's Market in 2008 which is held weekly each summer season.
The Graham Islands East Coast Farmers Institute continues to passionately promote farming and gardening on the islands. It oversees and maintains a number of programs and ideals, including a cold storage facility, implement sharing and bulk buying programs. All of its members are actively involved in the community and many serve in other local organizations, including the Lion's Club, the volunteer fire department and many others.
