Growing up in Iran, Amir, the founder of Abundance used to spend his childhood holidays on his maternal and paternal hobby farms where friends and family came together to share meals, enjoy the land and each other, play and create culture. He moved to the West in his late 20’s, got married, became a scientist, and made a living for himself. In his late 30s, he went through a divorce and depression episode, instigating him to look for alternative ways of living and healing.

 

On his journey, Amir came across a transformational dance festival in Hungary, where participants volunteered, dived into an inner journey of self-reflection and healing, communicated authentically without the invisible walls and barriers in the society, and appreciated nature. He also observed that they were experiencing an elevated life experience due to improved connections, while having a relatively low footprint as a result of the shared resources in the event. This made him realize that community can improve Quality of Life while reducing Ecological Footprint at the same time, hence a path to sustainable living.

 

Amir’s childhood experience with hobby farms, along with his realization of the interdependence between community development and sustainable living set him on the path for creating spaces that brings people together to connect with land and each other. He started a community house in Vancouver with a backyard garden and chickens, which gave him some experience for the nuances in community development. He also got involved with many community activities in the Vancouver artistic community. He finally took the leap to sell the community house, and call upon his community to start what is now known as Abundance Community Farm (ACF).