Agroforestry Practices for Devil’s Club Cultivation

There are tremendous untapped opportunities to develop and market botanical products from British Columbia's forests.  Devil's club (Oplopanax horridus) is one such species that will be the focus of new development project to determine agroforestry practices that promote its cultivation and harvesting in managed forests.  Pacific Reishi Ltd., with funding from the BC Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative, will establish trials near Powell River, BC to:

1. Showcase the cultivation of Devil’s Club in greenhouse, nursery and forest settings; and,
2. Synthesize information on markets for this species and create a market synopsis report.

This work will support the development, adaptation and integration of agroforestry practices in coastal BC.  Through a partnership with the Sliammon First Nation, it fosters local industry and First Nations economic development and expands business opportunities in response to rapidly emerging markets for forest botanicals.

The first phase of the project will create a showpiece of integrated cultivation systems that demonstrate operational growing of one of BC’s most economically valuable non-timber forest product (NTFP) species.  Pruning, spacing, thinning, slope stabilization, soil organic matter management and fertilization will be used within an operational forest management setting with the goals of enhancing both Devil's club and timber production.

Devil’s club plants will be propagated with rhizomes, shoots and seedlings grown in greenhouse and nursery settings.  This seed stock will be transplanted to establish in vivo colonies in a managed forest.  The agroforests will be monitored for survival, growth and performance of both understory and overstory plantings.

Pacific Reishi Ltd. will also examine Devil’s Club bioactive compounds, potential nutraceutical products and markets.  They will create a market synopsis of Devil’s Club and the economic feasibility of derived products will be determined.

The long-term goals of this work are to enhance awareness of agroforestry as a viable production system to expand the number of NTFP producers in the region, as well as to promote business development for agroforestry products throughout the region and the province.

Pacific Reishi Ltd. and its principals have worked extensively throughout the province focussing on the promotion and development of botanical resources.  Their mandate is to promote the establishment of operational forest farming for medicinal plants and mushrooms, and to develop and market nutraceuticals from BC’s forest resources.

Results of the field trials and market synopsis will be shared at a conference in 2013, to be held at the Pacific Reishi Powell River facility, as well as through conferences and meetings with major stakeholders and potential producers throughout BC and Pacific Northwest.

Hawthorn Market Report Available

Practitioner Sales Channel Assessment / Value Chain Opportunity Identification for Hawthorn

A new report from the Naturally Grown Herb & Spice Producers Cooperative (HerbPro) prepared by Raman Maangat with funding from the BC Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative

The purpose of this market study was to assess opportunities for BC and Canadian farmers of herbs and botanicals such as the native Crataegus species (i.e., hawthorn).

Historically farmers in the Canadian Herb/Botanical agricultural sector have been struggling to survive because of:

• Lack of small scale market demand
• Low profile of Canadian/BC grown herbs and botanicals.
• Competition with low cost commodity herbs/botanicals (China, Eastern Europe, South America)
• Little collaboration amongst BC and Canadian Growers

The Naturally Grown Herb and Spice Producers Cooperative commissioned Ms. Raman Maangat to conduct this study to determine whether there are opportunities to work directly with practitioners, apothecaries, and dispensaries to supply Canadian grown herbs and botanicals grown using safe and responsible farming practices.

The decline of the BC botanical and herb industry has been known for some time. However, it is thought there are some unique opportunities which may reinvigorate the industry. One such opportunity was thought to exist with respect to the naturopathic practitioners; this industry grew over 150% between 2001 and 2009 in Canada. To understand market opportunities it is important to complete a thorough assessment of the market in question.

After a complete market analysis of naturopathic practitioners in Western Canada, it is understood that although there is significant growth in this sector, it would be premature to consider this sales channel due to the following:

• Practitioner sales channel is very disparate. In order to understand the possible opportunities that may exist in the untapped practitioner sales channel market it is important to understand the scope of Canadian complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) channel in Canada and how the different areas of the discipline are defined. There does not seem to be ‘a common thread’ partially due to the number of different scope or treatment areas the practitioner chooses to practice or emphasize.
• Global competition has led to commodity based pricing. Currently botanical and herb producers in BC have not been able to differentiate their products and practices from that around the world.

1. The cost of production is generally higher in BC relative to many producing regions around the world.
2. Regulatory compliance has resulted in grower programs such as good agricultural and collective practices (GACPs), which add costs to production. Increased market awareness on GACPs and traceability should be initiated in order to differentiate the BC and Canadian industry/products from global competitors.

• Lack of published research and clinical trials associated with the indigenous Crataegus species found in Canada. Until there is science based evidence and proof that the indigenous species is better than the European Crataegus species practitioners will not accept hawthorn products that do not have science based evidence associated with the products. However, should there be future clinical trials; practitioners indicated willingness to participate in the trials.

Hawthorn growers in BC are urged to consider value chains in order to better understand the market opportunities. Some areas to look into with respect to value chain development include developing partnerships/relationships with existing companies that currently have direct sales to practitioners.
The market analysis has highlighted some key focus areas for hawthorn growers including the need for:

• More published research and clinical evidence.
• Generating market awareness on programs such as GACPs, traceability certified organic practices, etc.
• Considering other hawthorn based products.

Download a copy of this report

Integrating Apiculture in Riparian Buffers

British Columbia is replete with small private woodlots endowed with streams.  Riparian corridors can provide multiple benefits to land owners when managed with care to conserve the high watershed and biodiversity values that these zones provide.

The Murray Family Woodlot is a small, family-run woodlot located in the West Kootenay region near Slocan Lake.  Micheal Murray and family manage riparian, forest, and open-canopied land cover on their property.  This mixture provides opportunities to demonstrate novel approaches to land use, and agroforestry is their choice because of its integrative design, environmental sustainability, and long-term revenue potential.

With funding from the BC Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative, the Murray Family will use their woodlot to demonstrate the benefits of blending apiculture in an integrated riparian management system.  The shrubs in this system will benefit from honey bee pollination services, just as they, in turn, support honey production.  The riparian buffer further complements the apiary by providing both a windbreak and surface water required by bees.

With the technical assistance of the Slocan River Streamkeepers, cascara (Rhamnus purshiana), high bush cranberry (Viburnum opulus), and tall Oregon-grape (Mahonia aquifolium) will be established in the riparian buffers along two small streams in the woodlot.  These shrubs will be spaced at approximately 3- x 3-m spacing, with the exact planting locations varying to match planting conditions (e.g. soil moisture, associated vegetation) along each stream.  These species have been chosen for this multi-purpose planting, as they can positively contribute to the riparian health and function, support the apiary, and in time, yield a selective harvest of flower, fruit and other plant parts for sale as raw ingredients into the natural health products markets.

Cascara will be part of a multi-purpose integrated riparian management planting demonstration in the West Kootenay

The demonstration will provide a platform for regional woodlot and agricultural producers to see how financial gains in early stages of an agroforestry operation may be achieved by incorporating honey production into the system.  Combining perpetual shrub and honey production will also demonstrate longer-term self-sufficiency.  Information collected during the set-up and early operation of this demonstration will be used to generate a cost-benefit analysis, so that other prospective agroforestry practitioners can assess the financial suitability of this agroforestry practice to their operations.

The Murray's will be hosting a field tour and will conduct presentations and a webinar related to the project, and will soon be establishing a project website.  For more information, please contact Michael Murray at 250-354-1412.

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Funding for this work has been provided through the BC Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative (AGF1205)

Hawthorn Producers Working to Develop New Markets

The Naturally Grown Herb & Spice Producers Cooperative (HerbPro), with funding from the British Columbia Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative, is working to enhance the sales of raw hawthorn ingredients and value-added products through natural health products (NHP) practitioners (those using natural health materials as complementary or alternative medicines).  This work will support value chain development for agroforestry industry advancement in BC.

There is a significant market challenge for BC agroforestry enterprises involved in the production of herbs and botanicals originating from low-cost, commodity-driven imports from Asia, Eastern Europe and South America.  Most Canadian producers of herbs and botanicals have focused on broker/distributor and direct sales, primarily targeted at export markets (Europe and Asia) or small direct-to-consumer sales (via farm gate and e-commerce).  However, despite a growing domestic retail market for NHPs, the sector has experienced decreased grower participation over the past 15 years.  This is primarily attributed to the lack of perceived market opportunities and low returns on raw material sales, particularly in the commodity marketplace through brokers and distributors where producers may receive 10% or less of the wholesale prices.

However, unique opportunities exist in the largely untapped, NHP practitioner market, particularly for high quality fresh or frozen raw ingredients such as hawthorn. Through a detailed analyses of this sales channel, development work led by HerbPro will provide much needed Canadian data on a new market opportunity for all BC hawthorn producers.  In addition, it will explore the potential of value-chain development with NHP practitioners. NHP manufacturers and practitioners are increasingly looking towards local supplies for raw herb materials where they can be assured that suppliers have supply chain control systems in place and can provide a safe supply of accurately identified herbs and botanicals. Together with leveraging the 'buy local' and food security movements, and a forward-thinking approach linking environmental sustainability with health, BC agroforestry producers are well positioned to add value in the practitioner sales channel supply chain and expand their sales opportunities and profitability. 

Incorporated in 2004, HerbPro grew out of a rural community economic development initiative in the BC Rockies.  The purpose of HerbPro is to develop herbal opportunities that balance economic, social and environmental concerns for HerbPro cooperative membership.  In 2005, HerbPro established the Hawthorn Agroforestry Demonstration Farm Trial to determine best practices for hawthorn production management based on the agroforestry land management principles of alley cropping.  This system promotes conservation and sustainable management practices and encourages biodiversity in the ecosystem, while providing a means to diversify farm revenues through intercrop production, and generation of revenue streams from short- and long-term harvested crops.

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Funding for this work has been provided through the BC Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative (AGF1101)

Establishing Hawthorn in the Kootenays

There is great potential in the Kootenay region for growing and processing native BC hawthorn for the natural health products market.

Botanicals used in natural health products are usually sourced from Asia and Europe. For local growers to compete, they need to provide raw material comparable to the imported varieties in both volume and quality.

Since 2004, the Naturally Grown Herb and Spice Producers' Co-operative, or HerbPro, conducted growing trials to determine optimal agroforestry management practices for hawthorn. Leaves, flowers and berries from the trial trees (along with native hawthorn samples) underwent chemical analysis at the BC Institute of Technology and several food prototypes have been created, including juice, syrup and teas.

The trial results show that hawthorn seems to thrive in heavier soil types and moisture that is typical of BC, says Jeanette Lee, president of HerbPro. "Berry production normally takes eight years. The growing trials found that in BC, the plants start producing after about five or six years. This means the growing environment is well-suited to hawthorn."

Although market-ready products are many years off, HerbPro is preparing to carry out a full-scale market analysis, launch a campaign to attract more hawthorn growers and establish processing facilities in the region.

Lee says that without the funding, this project would have remained a mere idea. "The support was tremendous. It really helped us think more strategically and feel more confident going forward with the next steps."

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Funding: provided through the Agri-Food Futures Fund, Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative and Agri-Food Futures Fund, Health Products and Functional Foods Initiative. (AF013 04-07 and AF004-057)

From the Fall 2011 edition of Growing Tomorrow, newsletter from the Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia (www.iafbc.ca)