Accessing land can be a challenge for people in cities who want to grow their own food.
But Nanaimo Foodshare and organizations like the Young Professionals of Nanaimo are trying to change that by providing access to land and growing opportunities in the community.
Foodshare is partnering with four schools, John Barsby, Park Avenue, Fairview and Georgia Avenue, to teach students about horticulture, healthy eating, food security and more. It also has more schools looking to take part in the program.
Anna Dodds, Nanaimo Foodshare school garden coordinator, said there is increasing awareness of farmers’ markets and urban agriculture as more people become interested in issues such as food security and sustainability.
She sees schools as an untapped resource because they have the land and are usually located in accessible areas.
The YPN also saw an untapped resource in idle gas station sites.
The organization created two community gardens, one in the north and another in the south end of Nanaimo, by reclaiming the vacant properties. Members built raised beds, separating and protecting the growing soil from the contaminated soil on the properties.
“We felt food security was an important issue,” said Chris Cathers, YPN spokesman.
The locations, one at the corner of Turner Road and the Island Highway and another on Needham Street, enable people to grow food locally for a fee of $30 a plot.
The organization is also encouraging local businesses to sponsor boxes so community members can grow food for Loaves and Fishes. Last year, YPN donated 50 boxes of food to the organization thanks to the partnership with local businesses.
Business partnerships are an essential part in helping create the Foodshare program in schools, said Dodds. Donations help purchase supplies for student learning.
John Barsby Community School students got their hands dirty Tuesday spreading compost delivered by Alpine Group, which has donated compost to the program and other schools for the past two years.
Farren Ferguson, from Alpine Group, said the soil delivered was composted from refuse collected through the green bin program.
He said the company is pleased to be part of a program teaching kids lifelong healthy eating habits and it’s also part of the solution of reducing waste in the region.
John Barsby students participate in the Foodshare program through the school’s Greenscapes program, which teaches students in Grades 8-11 practical hands-on horticulture skills.
Amanda Ahlstom, a Greenscapes student, said she had a lot of fun in the program and she learned a lot about gardening and the importance of food security.
“That idea of local, sustainable food is definitely a guiding principle for our garden here,” said Janet Nelson, who teaches Greenscapes at John Barsby.
Dodds said students might not know they’re learning about food security when they first start the program, but it is laying the foundation of knowledge about the issue. Students then spread that knowledge to the community by talking to their friends and family about the initiative.
Last year, some students created raised garden beds or potted vegetable areas in their homes. And after hearing about the program, some students’ younger siblings attended the summer camps, operated in partnership with the City of Nanaimo.
“That’s really exciting that they are taking this knowledge home with them and sharing it with their families,” said Dodds. “It’s been really fun to help them [students] open their eyes and try new things.”
Nelson said students also learn how to cook the food they grow and it’s used in the school cafeteria to make healthy meals.
Greenscapes began last year in the spring and is running all this year runs with students learning how to care for the garden over the winter months.
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