Professional Highlights:
- Recognized innovator of agri tourism programs and services in B.C. since 1987
- 10 years in the retail and wholesale travel industry
- 20 years experience developing and marketing ‘on farm’ specialty products
- 20 years experience linking grassroot heritage conservation to value added products and services
- 20 years designing and hosting agriculture related events, conferences and workshops
- 10 years experience linking Canadian and overseas ‘green’ agriculture programs
- Recognized pioneer in Canada’s ‘organic’ movement
- Recognized national leader in the heritage seed movement
- Celebrated author linking traditional knowledge and story to ‘value added’ food
- Nationally recognized specialist in researching, sourcing, documenting and using heritage plants in gardens and fields
- Strong cultural diversity skills and abilities to listen, hear and draw out stories
- Client diversity includes Weston Foods, Parks Canada, B.C. Heritage, Alberta Culture, and many grassroot communities and individual farmers
- 20 years experience growing food crops, saving and storing seeds and designing gardens and fields
- Served on three Canadian delegations to the United Nations (FAO) developing policy for use of genetic resources for food and agriculture
- Innovator of community building activities including Seedy Saturday seed exchanges across Canada and Canada’s first Bread and Wheat Festival
- B.Sc. Agriculture and MA Conservation (landscapes and gardens) degree holder
Testimonials
"Sharon Rempel is an active, dedicated researcher and communicator
on the critical importance of heritage crops as a major form of biological
diversity and cultural richness. She is internationally renowned for
her work on heritage gardening and genetic resources for food and agriculture
protection and conservation. She holds a Masters of Arts degree in Conservation
Studies, Historic Gardens and Landscape option, with the Institute of
Advanced Architectural Studies, University of York, England, and is
an effective educator and teacher. Her work is not just conceptual or
academic, however; she is an active and ardent practitioner of gardening
with heritage seeds and developing heritage gardens. Her passion, enthusiasm,
generosity and spirit are infectious. She has inspired many people to
actively pursue the conservation of heritage plants. She has been the
recipient of many awards for her service. Not only is she herself active
in heritage seed promotion, she has gone much further in fund-raising
and consciousness-raising of citizens of Canada, especially of British
Columbia and Alberta, where she has focused much of her work.”
Dr. Nancy Turner,
University of Victoria