Grass roots always sounds so nice, but who said it can apply to a business strategy?
Well, we think that this is the way that a business should be run. Especially when our goals are to advance nature's solutions to our man-made problems. After taking a permaculture course by Matt Powers, I decided that the best way for me to leverage my experiences is to make a business that will grow based on the success of nature.
I have found that nature may not always answer quickly, but it never fails to benefit from right actions. Nature is created with solutions to every problem, and as a passionately curious learner, I am fascinated by the many ways that we can encourage it to help us in problems that we make.
Modelled after Nature’s System; Grass Roots is how we Operate!
Footstep farms was founded in 2021 on an acreage near Nobleford Alberta. We use the Permaculture Principles on our farm as well as advanced biological techniques from all over the world, to help restore a healthy balance and increase the total production on the farm as the ecological flywheel builds momentum.
The name Footstep represents the vision of our enterprise. We are busy taking many little steps to turn our degraded soil around and make it productive. As we find the footsteps that worked for us, we are bringing those early steps to others. Our farmstead is a testing ground for products and techniques that are the most cutting edge.
The foundation of our business strategy is the base of the tree trunk. I am constantly researching, and attending seminars to discover the most advanced biological solutions to test and apply at Footstep farms. I have the habit of trying a lot of things before I know for sure that I am doing it correctly. Some of the best this in natural farming are more of an art than a science. I just can't wait to give new information and techniques a try. This stage is where the grassroots of our enterprise begins.
As we prove out different products or techniques that solve our problems, we ramp up production so that we can offer these solutions to our community. The second stage in applying our Farms philosophy is to get many gardeners and acreage owners to apply our products and help fine tune the process as we broaden the benefits. This is where our local community is able to help the cause by providing feedback and observations. We love it when our advice, services or products improve the quality of life for our community members.
We feel that there is a need for more advanced biological solutions, and now that we have started using them in our gardens and pastures, we want to see our neighbours benefiting also. Many of the products we have been testing are expensive to get from the US, and they are difficult to find in Canada. Some of what we have been using with success cannot be made locally now, so we hope to champion the best of these in our online store.
Our goal is to make our services and products economical and local so that our whole community improves together. Just like an ecosystem, human communities thrive as more members of the community spread their successes. As our systems and techniques are proven out, we will begin teaching other community leaders our lessons. This will help enrich the ecosystem of communities.
As we give our experiences and success forward to the community, we look forward to hearing from you. Learning starts with good questions. If you have some questions to offer to this project, please contact us.