Dry farming means growing crops without, or with very little, supplemental irrigation by relying on the conservation of soil moisture. In the summer of 2025, the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems collaborated with market garden farmers on Vancouver and the Gulf Islands to grow several common market crops without supplemental irrigation. The Dry Farming Extension Guide provides resources to assess site suitability for dry farming and share the lessons learned from dry farming market garden trials.
Dry Farming Extension Guide (download here)
- Overview of key soil science concepts for dry farming
- Dry farming site suitability
- Dry farming practices at the 2025 demonstration sites
- Lessons learned and next steps
The Agricultural Water Holding Capacity Estimator (download here)
Input information about the soil horizon and soil textures at your site to estimate its agricultural water holding capacity as part of site suitability assessment
Appendices
- Appendix A: The Jar Test for Approximating Soil Texture (download here)
- Appendix B: Estimating Soil Bulk Density (download here)
- Appendix C: The Slakes App - A Free Smartphone App to Measure Aggregate Stability developed by the Soil Health Institute
This work was made possible through the collaboration, dedication, and knowledge of demonstration site host farmers. We greatly appreciate their effort and leadership in climate change adaptation work in this region.
- Skye Larmour, Tardigrade Seeds, Salt Spring Island, BC
- Jaclyn Kirby, Yellow Boot Farm, Black Creek, BC
- Lisa Willott, Farmfolk CityFolk Seed Hub Site at the Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture, North Saanich, BC
We would also like to acknowledge the collaboration of the Oregon State University Dry Farming Program and the Dry Farming Institute.
We’re grateful for the funding support from
