Nathalie Chambers is a passionate farmer. In 1999, she and her husband David Chambers restored his family's Madrona Farm in Victoria, transforming it into a model of sustainable agriculture. Madrona Farm became political when the Chambers family decided to sell the property to the province's Land Conservancy (TLC), a non-profit, charitable land trust. The Chambers family would lease Madrona Farm back from the TLC and the property would remain agricultural land in perpetuity. Through a massive fundraising effort, TLC raised sufficient monies and purchased Madrona Farm.

In Saving Farmland (Rocky Mountain, 2015), Nathalie Chambers tells her farm's story, with Robin Alys Roberts and Sophie Wooding. Publicity materials tell us the book "introduces readers to stories of lost farmland and bees saving lives. It shows how sustainability, ecosystems and biodiversity transcend the paradox of our own, man-made losses. Saving Farmland describes overcoming obstacles, choosing models, identifying vital farmland, building community and fundraising. Concluding stories of commonly shared land, international trusts, regained farmland and several heroes provide ongoing inspiration."

Sophie Wooding earned her degree in creative writing and English literature from the University of Victoria. She apprenticed at Madrona Farm and lives in Victoria.

BOOKS:

Saving Farmland: The Fight for Real Food (Rocky Mountain Press, 2015) $25.00 ISBN 9781771600736 (with Robin Alys Roberts and Sophie Wooding)

[BCBW 2015]