FRESH FROM THE CITY

ALREADY GAINING STEAM BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, INTEREST IN URBAN FARMING — AND HUNGER FOR HYPER-LOCAL FOOD — HAS SOARED. A LOOK AT THREE CANADIAN TAKES ON THE URBAN FARMING PHENOMENON.

- CAITLIN STALL-PAQUET

THE EARLY DAYS OF THE pandemic threw well-established Canadian food systems into disarray. In April 2020, news reports told of dairy farmers across the country having to dump millions of gallons of milk down the drain due to supply management issues when restaurants, hotels and schools shut down. And, as borders closed, the fact that Canada imports more produce than it exports became both a worry and a talking point (in 2019, Canada imported $6.37 billion in fruit and $3.9 billion in vegetables, mainly from the U.S., China and Mexico). An ongoing conversation was launched. How much food should Canada obtain through major food importers and multinational companies? Would we do well to become more self-sufficient?

The global food sovereignty movement, which had been building momentum since its grassroots conception in the late ’90s, quickly gained traction with its focus on the rights of people everywhere to access healthy and sustainable food. One of the pillars of the movement lies in using local food systems to reduce the distance between producers and consumers. Three Canadian companies have successfully pioneered solutions aimed at bringing farms closer to home — and educating the next generation of agricultural innovators.