• Elk Ridge is designed as a living system of nourishment and abundance. By combining permaculture principles, regenerative food forests, and traditional First Nations knowledge, the community will create more than it consumes — ensuring resilience for generations.

 

• Regenerative food forest design: layered systems of fruit and nut trees, berry shrubs, vines, perennial vegetables, root crops, and mushrooms that mimic the diversity and balance of natural ecosystems.

• Medicinal and edible plants: herbs, teas, and traditional healing species selected with guidance from First Nations elders, reviving cultural knowledge of food and medicine.

• Protein systems: chickens for eggs, a freshwater trout lake, and future regenerative aquaculture to provide reliable and renewable protein sources.

• Permaculture gardens: integrated throughout the community, with raised beds for accessible, intensive growing where needed.

• Community trade network: Elk Ridge’s goal is to produce a true surplus—enough to not only feed residents but also trade with Cowichan Valley’s farming networks. This ensures abundance and variety no matter what the future brings.

• Ever-increasing abundance: Each year, as the systems mature, they become more plentiful, resilient, and productive—delivering expanding value to the community.

 

 

At Elk Ridge, our vision of food security means more than self-sufficiency — it means a regenerative cycle of abundance that strengthens the community and enriches the entire region for generations to come..