In an increasingly urbanized world, it is easy to forget that agricultural activities can be an important component of the urban fabric. Too often we segregate the concepts of food production, regarded as rural, from urban functions like housing, schools, and work. However in a sustainable community, maintaining the means of food production close to where people live is as important as providing housing.

Sustainable urban agriculture provides more than secure access to food. Today, conscientious farmers are taking leadership roles in increasing biodiversity, or the range of species occupying a particular area. Good farm stewardship yields positive impacts on the ecological health of urban regions.

Sustainable farms are not factories for food production, but healthy vital ecosystems, that provide food and habitat for birds and insects, as well as for humans. Supporting and maintaining healthy balanced ecosystems is part of the farmer's role, contributing not only to healthy crops that do not require pesticides, but also contributing to regional biodiversity.

There are many measures that farmers may elect to take to increase farm biodiversity. Many of these practices are being implemented at the Earthwise Farm in Boundary Bay, including hedgerows, cover crops, and interplanting.

Hedgerows, often planted between fields and at the edges of waterways, provide important habitat continuity, or corridors for wildlife. Farm hedgerows offer birds, particularly songbirds, food, shelter and protection for moving around a region.

Earthwise Farm Manager James Gates observes, "When you approach our hedgerows you actually hear an increasing clamour from the songbirds hiding there, even though you can't see them."

While hedgerows often consist of native non-food producing crops, they can also include potential cash crops such as salal branches for flower arranging, or Saskatoon berries for harvest. The latest hedgerow plantings at Earthwise will feature Vaccinium ovalifolium, a native blueberry.

Cover crops are important in crop rotation, help improve soil tilth and fertility, and increase biodiversity. Some cover crops attract insects, including pollinators like bees. The need to provide food for bees is of increasing concern due to dramatic declines in bee populations across North America. Cover crops of buckwheat, clover, and phacelia are noted insectary plants -- plants that are good at attracting beneficial insects and bees.

Interplanting includes a variety of techniques, often employed on small organic farms, to increase biodiversity and crop productivity. This includes dense plantings of diverse crops in the same field, rather than single crops, or monocultures. Interplanting can include plants to attract beneficial insects. This in turn attracts birds, builds a healthy farm ecosystem, and contributes to a healthy region. For example, an interplanted field may include aromatic herbs and flowers along with food crops. Sunflowers, lavender, and echinacea not only help increase farm biodiversity, but can diversify cash crops for small farms.

Together all of these techniques are sometimes referred to as farmscaping. Farmscaping looks at the entire landscape of the farm as part of the farm ecosystem, even if it is not included in the productive crop area. Earthwise Society's demonstration farm in Boundary Bay is in the process of implementing a farmscaping plan at its two-acre site, supported by funding from VanCity. Visitors are welcome to visit the Earthwise Farm to observe these techniques in practice and to learn more about the many organisms that contribute to a balanced farm ecosystem. Guided farm tours or school programs can be arranged by appointment by calling 604-946-9828. Farm produce is sold Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings at the volunteer-run Farm Store to help support educational programming at the Earthwise Farm.

Patricia Fleming is the executive director of the Earthwise Society.