Sarah van Heeswijk
2027
Scholar
Sarah van Heeswijk has spent more than 20 years building connections between agriculture, young people and communities. In her role with the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food, she leads provincial initiatives focused on youth development and building the future agricultural workforce, working with organizations and communities across British Columbia. Agriculture has always been an important part of Sarah’s life. While she didn’t grow up in a farming family, she spent part of her childhood living on a mixed-fruit orchard in the South Okanagan. As a teenager, she became an active 4-H member, an experience she credits as the spark that led her to a career in agriculture.
Sarah is passionate about connecting people to agriculture and developing the next generation of agricultural leaders. She is particularly proud of the work she has done with organizations including 4-H, Agriculture in the Classroom, BC Young Farmers, and Farm to School. She is also involved as a volunteer with Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers Program and the Canadian Agri-Business Education Foundation.
Sarah is part of a farm family and lives in the Fraser Valley with her husband, Travis, a farmer and partner in Hopcott Farms, a beef and cranberry operation that offers both on-farm retail and agri-tourism experiences. She enjoys sharing their farm with others and creating opportunities for people to better understand where their food comes from.
Farming the Future: Global Approaches to Developing the Next Generation of Farmers
Through her Nuffield research, Farming the Future: Global Approaches to Developing the Next Generation of Farmers, Sarah is exploring how countries around the world are creating pathways into farming through education, mentorship, apprenticeships, land access and succession. She hopes to bring these ideas home to help strengthen the future of Canadian agriculture.
