Chris Thoreau

  • 2022: MSc in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (ISLFS), The University of British Columbia
  • 2011: BSc. (Hons.) Agroecology, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, The University of British Columbia

Bio 

Chris completed his Master’s Degree in Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture in 2022. Chris is as a co-founder of Seedleaf Technologies and currently works as an Operations Manager with the BC Eco Seed Co-Op.

Since 2001 Chris has been deeply engaged in agriculture in BC. He started as a farmer on Vancouver Island operating a small-scale certified organic mixed vegetable farm. During this time he also worked with local organizations to facilitate workshops and training opportunities for local farmers and sat on the local organic certifying committee. Seed became an important part of Chris’s work and he attended numerous workshops and field days in BC and Washington while incorporating seed production into his farm operation. In 2006 he helped form what would become FarmFolk CityFolk’s BC Seeds Program and conducted a comprehensive seed production survey for BC’s organic sector.

From rural farming Chris transitioned to urban farming where he developed a unique urban microgreens production system in Vancouver while attending UBC. This system has gained international recognition as an innovative model for profitable urban food production.

In 2015 Chris returned to work in the seed community as Program Coordinator for the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security in BC with FarmFolk CityFolk. The project aimed to identify varieties which performed best in each region as well as those varieties which could be scaled up for bulk seed production. This work led Chris to return to school to better understand the community and seed system he was working with. 

Chris is a competitive trail runner and often trains with his son.

Master’s Thesis

Opportunities and constraints to seed sovereignty for organic vegetable farmers in British Columbia