2 minute read
Sundog Veggies
Amber Church is generally enthusiastic about everything but she spends most of her time creating in an art studio and chasing a child and dog through the wilderness.
GROWING YOUNG FARMERS
PHOTOS: Submitted by Sundog
Finton Finton working in the fields during the 2020 Sundog Veggies pilot program
The Sundog Veggies project continues for a second year
In 2020, when the Yukon closed its borders to the outside world due to COVID-19, Sundog Retreat owners Andrew Finton and his partner, Heather, found an opportunity in the challenge. They created the Sundog Veggies project, allowing them to pivot from a focus on tourism to agriculture. In so doing, they created a space to mentor youth while supporting the community and increasing Yukon’s food security.
Despite getting a late start on the season (beginning to plant around Easter), last year’s project was a huge success.
“We hired thirty people last year, planted almost three acres of crops, and harvested 40,000 pounds of vegetables, all by hand and starting from scratch,” says Finton.
In the process, he re-ignited his passion for community development and training projects, combined with his long-standing interest in food security. “I’ve always enjoyed working with youth,” he says. “I did a similar project to this 30 years ago with youth in Brazil. It has been really inspiring to create a similar project again here in the Yukon.”
Finton worked closely with Yukon youth in the past when he founded the Sundog Carving Project (which became the Northern Cultural Expressions Society), which has allowed him to draw on
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