Urban Agriculture

Welcome back!

Listen to this podcast from CBC Radio as host Jane Hawtin talks to Rhonda Teitel-Payne a representative with the urban agricultural group Stop Community Food Centre (if the page is updated look for the Thursday, February 5 Metro Morning Podcast – “Local Food Forum”).

This organization focuses on helping urban residents to grow and eat local foods like herbs and vegetables.  It’s currently winter where this group is located (Toronto), but they are still able to grow in their greenhouse, a large assortment of fresh vegetables and herbs, including kale, different kinds of onions, salad greens, and legumes.

According to Rhonda, there is a growing concern that many North Americans are gradually losing food skills – specifically the kinds of skills that come from growing your own food. Urban agricultural initiatives like Stop Community Food Centre give urban residents an opportunity to grow their own food and connect back to a skill that really brings a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction to many people.

Stop Community Food Centre’s mission has developed over 30 years and it is basically to make sure people in urban communities have access to healthy food.

Some key benefits of urban agricultural groups: People are able to come together to share their skills and experience around a mutually beneficial and satisfying initiative.  Participating in a community garden is a wonderful way to build engagement in a neighborhood.

Participants can talk about their childhood experiences with food, or their experiences growing food in another country or their own lack of knowledge of the food growing process.

It’s a win/win situation – buying local food that helps the environment and builds stronger communities.