Arzeena Hamir was born in Tanzania but grew up in Richmond, BC. Although not from a farming background, she was attracted to agricultural science as a community development tool and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Crop Science from the University of Guelph and a Master’s in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of London, England. She worked as a CUSO volunteer in Thailand and as a researcher in Jamaica, India, and Bangladesh. Since returning to Canada in 1997, Arzeena deepened her skills in food security while working for West Coast Seeds, The Sharing Farm, and as the ED of the Richmond Food Security Society, and helped to Launch the Richmond Farm School with Kwantlen University. She and her husband moved their family to the Comox Valley in 2012 and run Amara Farm, a 25-acre certified organic farm in Courtenay, BC. In 2018, Arzeena was elected to the Board of the Comox Valley Regional District where she serves as both Vice Chair and Director, Area B.

Arzeena is a Founding Member and Board Member of NewStories North.