Tag Archives: community gardens

DIG (Durham Integrated Growers for a Sustainable Community)

A new case study from our ongoing ‘Social Economy of Food‘ research highlights DIG (Durham Integrated Growers for a Sustainable Community). Compiled by Mary Anne Martin, DIG was collected through interviews with the president of DIG, the coordinator of one of its member projects and one organization that has benefitted from regular delivery of produce from a member garden. In addition, it draws on documents and observations from: DIG’s website, its member projects, its annual general meeting, an executive meeting and a meeting of the Durham Food Policy Council (of which DIG is a member). As a participatory action research initiative, this research involved a collaborative project with DIG and the Durham Food Policy Council that analysed municipal policy in Durham Region to assess its support for urban agriculture and food security. The findings from the policy research also informs this report. Read or download the report!

Fortnightly Feast – vol. 24

EVENTS

Does Toronto need a bold food strategy?

Big Ideas live chat: Tuesday September 2 at 1 pm EST
Is there a robust food strategy for Toronto that can expand access to healthy food, combat food deserts and reduce barriers to increasing urban agriculture on private and public land? The next Toronto Star Big Ideas live chat focuses on what a bold food strategy could mean for our city.

Join FoodShare Executive Director Debbie Field, and The Stop Community Food Centre Executive Director Rachel Gray, as they participate in a live chat moderated by Christopher Hume. Read More

Whole Hog! (5 Chefs, 5 Pigs and a Blues Band)

The 1st Annual Fergus Whole Hog BBQ
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Come listen to blues music, talk to local chefs about how they have prepared and cooked their heritage-breed, locally raised pigs and savour the flavours of their craft. Take a walk through the grounds where local students are learning about sustainable agriculture and visit the historic farmhouse that now acts as a school house for this innovative program. Read more

A New Way to Farm

Join Mark Shepard -restoration agriculturalist, landscape designer and agroecologist- who is coming to the Waterloo region for a series of events put on by Our Farm.
Public seminar: October 2, 2014
Perennial polyculture workshop: October 3-4, 2014
Read more

2014 Practical Farming Conference

Joel Salatin and Greg Judy coming to Ontario October 2014

Practical Advice for Practical Farming
Learn about planned grazing and planned sustainability from the renowned Greg Judy and Joel Salatin. This first annual conference series showcases two of the most successful sustainable farmers of this era, complimented by experts from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the University of Guelph. Including Large Industry Trade Show 

Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms will speak on October 4 at the University of Guelph, Rozanski Hall, Guelph, Ontario. Greg Judy of Green Pastures Farm will speak on October 18 at Arthur Community Centre, Arthur, Ontario. Read more and register

CAMPAIGNS

Food Spaces, Vibrant Places

Food Spaces, Vibrant Places is a community-based campaign created to support more temporary farmers’ markets and community gardens in Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo. Temporary farmers’ markets and community gardens need to be located within walking and transit access of where people live, work, and play. This will help strengthen neighbourhoods, build community, and keep families healthy. Read more

WEBINARS

Putting Local on the Menu: Five Best Practices and a Cost Calculator Training – an NGFN webinar

Thursday, September 4, 2014 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM EDT

Several institutional cafeterias and mid-priced restaurants are using clever techniques to source substantial amounts of local food, while maintaining their own affordability and profitability. This webinar, led by Anthony Flaccavento, will present the results of SCALE Inc.’s research into how these kitchens are successfully putting local on the menu, while staying within their tight budgets. Read more and register

…GENERAL INTEREST

ShelfLife Foods: Slowing the clock on time sensitive food

Our mission is to provide an online food network where local food producers can connect with buyers to market time sensitive food product. The food industry lacks a proper marketplace that can effectively coordinate and align sellers, buyers and distribution channels. Because of the time sensitivity and lack of coordination, food producers focus on larger buyers that can purchase large amounts. This is inefficient and forces food producers to focus on a select group of buyers and offer significant discounts as the product approaches its expiry. Our marketplace will seek to better align buyers and sellers to efficient distribution channels and open up the market to more buyers. Read more

A Place for Food in Public Spaces

Wisdom from community builders

Upcoming webinar: Thursday, July 3, 2014 12-1 p.m. EDT

To learn more and register, visit www.cfccanada.ca/webinars

Join Community Food Centres Canada for a free webinar that will explore different ways community-builders are using food programs like community gardens, markets, public suppers, and bake ovens to animate local parks. We’ll highlight how the principles of placemaking can transform public spaces by highlighting local assets and serving common needs.
On the panel are Jutta Mason, who for over 20 years has led the transformation of Dufferin Grove Park to a vibrant, community-supported park, and Sabina Ali, who alongside a Women’s Committee in her culturally diverse neighbourhood of Thorncliffe Park, started a plein air South Asian bazaar and community Tandoor oven. Moderator Liz Curran, the Manager of the Regent Park Community Food Centre at CRC, is developing a suite of food programs to animate the newly re-developed Regent Park neighbourhood, including gardens, a greenhouse, and bake ovens.
We hope you can join us! Feel free to Share it on Facebook, forward via email, or Tweet about it (we’re @aplaceforfood and you can use the #placemaking tag)

When: Thursday, July 3, 2014 from 12 to 1 p.m. EDT

Where: Your Computer

How Much: Free!

To LEARN MORE and REGISTER, visit www.cfccanada.ca/webinars

In the meantime, if you’re interested in whetting your appetite leading up to the webinar, we recently wrote a piece about how Regent Park Community Food Centre is undertaking placemaking in a nearby public park; and if you’d like to learn more about how community gardening programs work in the context of a Community Food Centre, have a look at our info-packed module on the topic.

As with all our webinars, this one will be posted to The Pod Knowledge Exchange along with a host of downloadable resources a week or so after the event. Become a member of The Pod to stay in the loop about this webinar and others yet to come.