$250,000 boost to Farmers’ Markets throughout the region
In 2012 Vancity distributed a quarter of a million dollars in grants to support 21 farmers’ markets that bring local, natural and organic food to communities throughout the region.
Called Growing Farmers’ Markets, the granting program allocated funds of up to $10,000 to help local farmers’ markets achieve long term sustainability. The BC Association of Farmers Markets also received a $65,000 grant to develop a program to support the growth and viability of farmer's markets through workshops and mentorship. The 21 farmer's markets to receive a grant in 2012 were:
o Abbotsford Farm & Country Market
o Agassiz Farm Fresh Market
o Artisan Farmers Market – Burnaby, N. Vancouver & W. Vancouver
o Canadian Organic Growers - Island Natural Growers – Salt Spring Island
o Coquitlam's Farmers Market
o Fairfield Community Market Society
o Langley Community Farmers Market
o Mission City Farmers Market
o North Saanich Food for Future Society
o Oaklands Community Association - Victoria
o Royal City Farmers Market – New Westminster
o Squamish Farmers Market
o Surrey Urban Farmers Market
o UBC Farm Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
o Oak Street Farmers Market in Vancouver
o Your Local Farmers Market Society Vancouver
o Haney Farmers Market Society
o White Rock Farmers Market
o Chilliwack Farmer Market
o Pemberton Farmers Market
o Whistler Farmers Market Society
The Environmental Youth Alliance engages local residents, businesses, and schools in perennial food production through its new, 1.2 acre Copley Community Orchard. Unlike a typical community garden allotment, larger communal tree and shrub plantings will be tended collectively. Approximately 200 new fruit trees and over 250 fruiting shrubs and vines will be planted, with on-site educational courses and workshops planned in 2013.
Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society’s Schoolyard Market Gardens project will develop two, one quarter acre schoolyard market gardens at VanTech Secondary and David Thompson Secondary that will be used for food production and as outdoor, hands-on learning classrooms; engaging school communities and residents of Vancouver. These gardens will host workshops, volunteer opportunities and a young farmer-training program.
Loutet Farm is the first urban farm on public parkland in the region and the only urban farm on the North Shore. With hands-on education and financial viability at its core, Loutet Farm project supports environmental, community and economic health while also being a regional model of innovative land use.
Pacific Coast Wild Salmon Society’s focus is to ensure the viability of wild salmon as a food resource. The society is developing a program to link together the groups working to monitor salmon health and restore wild salmon populations, including First Nations, university departments and labs. Educating and engaging the public in their work will be an important part of this project.
The Sharing Farm Society’s Sustainable Food System Centre project includes expansion and renovation of existing buildings to create a hub for resources, education and facilities for urban farmers and the community. These improvements will increase the ability of The Sharing Farm to support the food bank, community kitchens, school food gardens and emerging farmers.
The Vancouver Urban Farming Society is researching management best-practice for urban agriculture within the City of Vancouver and developing a code of best practice for Vancouver's growing number of urban farmers. This shared knowledge can provide a way for urban farmers to proactively and continually address common challenges and concerns, such as, growing and business practices, community engagement, health and safety, and other issues to help ensure the quality of locally-grown produce.
The Victoria Downtown Public Market project aims to create a meeting place to introduce consumers to local farmers, food producers and businesses and to expand the number of local food consumers through education and public outreach. The centerpiece of the Market will be its Community Kitchen, a place for vendor product preparation, food and cooking demonstrations, lectures and seminars, courses in cooking and sustainable living, and a place for families to gather.
The Helping Farmers project will support shared farming on shared land, foster relationships between farmers and buyers, aid farmers in developing farm plans to guide their businesses, bring established and new farmers together to share experiences and ideas, and build a community farmers network to provide support and tools necessary to increase local food production.
The grant received by The Public Health Association of British Columbia will be used to strengthen and expand Farm to School - an initiative designed to bring fresh, healthy, and sustainably produced foods from nearby farms into Greater Vancouver schools. The funds will be used to support existing programs, to inspire new programs, and to explore the feasibility of a district-wide program. It will also support local food skills training, including a teen “localvore” cook-off event..
New farmers face significant challenges related to the high cost of land in the region and access to mentorship and training. The Growing New Farmers: Access to Land and Mentorship project is a comprehensive program that will bring local organizations together to support farmers to access land, training and farm business advice to ensure we have a successful new generation of farmers. The initiative will also work towards the creation of a regional farmland trust to ensure land will be permanently accessible to farmers into the future; building the foundation for a vibrant local food economy.
The project team for the Vancouver Native Health Society – Urban Aboriginal Garden/Kitchen project will bring Aboriginal youth, children and families together with Elders and community experts to revitalize and share relevant knowledge, values and wisdom as it relates to growing, harvesting, fishing, preparing and preserving cultural foods. The project will build on efforts of previous participants by organizing the time, space and resources to build an Indigenous Food Share Network in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.
Vancouver Farmer’s Markets is a leading partner in the development of a permanent local food hub for the City of Vancouver called New City Market (NCM) featuring a year-round farmer’s market and a commercial kitchen for small scale local producers. The permanent infrastructure of NCM will increase long-term capacity and revenues for the local food economy by allowing local growers to pool their produce and provide it to larger suppliers like food retailers, in addition to sales to the general public, Vancouver's institutions, community groups and restaurants.
