A visit to Many Hands Farm is an educational experience par excellence.
Curtis and Kim Robinson and their six children, aged 13 to almost three, (Sierra, Ocean, Indigo, Cedar, River and Sequoia) offer a warm welcome to visitors who bring their families by appointment to see what's happening at this unique Westholme Road operation.
There's so much to see and learn but from the moment you arrive you know this is not an ordinary farm.
It's a far cry from what Curtis first saw in Alberta where his father farms about a thousand acres.
"I grew up in big agriculture. Even though I didn't realize it at the time, some of the farming skills I learned were the best things I ever learned," Curtis said.
"But, I also saw how it affected the soil and the whole cycle of life. I thought there was a real disconnect between what people were eating and that cycle; it showed their lack of understanding of how it all fits together," he said.
"I also want our kids to grow
things for themselves that are a lot higher quality than are produced in big agriculture. Trucking things in from 1,500 miles away is not the way to go."
Despite his farm background, Curtis didn't go straight into his kind of farming.
"I run a video production and computer tech company. But my emphasis is now on local businesses that create part of the solutions for the planet," he explained.
"Being able to create a farm here, I can focus on my local community.