Over the years, Common Roots has worked tirelessly to become a core part of Halifax peninsula’s culture. From the expansion of available community plots – now at 175, with a wait list – to the development of the market stand and workshops, it is clear that Common Roots is grounded in the community. With this said, there is always room for growth, and Common Roots is looking to do just that.
Common Roots offers a variety of workshops and programs on the farm, in order to aid urban farmers, new and seasoned, in the cultivation of their crops. For those that have rented plots on the farm, there are an abundance of resources available in order to aid in the growing process. Yet for those without a plot who are looking to cultivate their own edible garden at home, we currently have limited support available. It is in acknowledging this shortcoming that we seek to nurture and support the growth of more home based edible gardens through the possible development of social enterprise. With this goal in mind, we’re looking to other social enterprise projects from around the world with a focus on increasing food security, community development, and skill sharing in Halifax. Here are our top five local food movements from around the world:
The Edible Garden Project started as a community group of volunteers in 2005, and has since grown into a well-established part of the community. EGP has central community gardens, offers workshops, food distribution programs and holds farmers markets (quite similar to Common Roots). Where the EGP goes one step further than Common Roots is through their Grow a Row, Share a Row program. This program is designed for urban farmers with edible gardens to donate any unused food to the community. This is done through several produce donation stations across the north shore. In this way, individuals with their own edible garden can engage with the community and share the bounty of their yard.
Challenges for Common Roots – EGP is significantly larger than common roots, with more funding and a larger volunteer base. However, this summer will also be EGPs 12th year in operation, making it a great goal for Common Roots to work towards.
Appetite for Change is a community based non-profit, which runs a collection of Social Enterprise initiatives in inner city Minneapolis. Prior to the development of Appetite for Change, fresh, healthy food was near impossible to come by in the city. When this food was available, it was often at a price that made it inaccessible to those most in need. AFC has three main projects: Appetite for Change, focused on urban agriculture and accessible healthy food; Kindred Kitchen, a fully stocked commercial kitchen that small, local businesses can use in order to become established; and Breaking Bread, a restaurant and catering business focused on providing training and resources to those in need, while serving nutritious and delicious food for the community at large.
Appetite for Change and the subsequent social enterprises are operating on a scale significantly larger than Common Roots at the moment. With this said, their training model, and focus on providing an essential service to the community while maintaining their economic feasibility offer an excellent blue print for Common Roots to follow.
Food not lawns started as a committed group of neighbours, coming together to support each other and their community in cultivating and harvesting food on their limited yard space. This took the form of weekly meetings and seasonal seed sharing sessions. As the initial group grew in size and scope, others around North America started associated community groups in various cities. This model of growth allows for each group to address the needs of their community, while building upon the resources of the organization as a whole.
Food not lawns is a grassroots organization, with a focus on intercommunity skill sharing. While many chapters maintain community gardens, it is not a requirement of the organization. Instead, the area of greatest importance is the facilitation of knowledge and seed sharing workshops. In the case of Food not Lawns, these are funded through grants, however the model could be used for social enterprise initiatives as well.
Go Go Green Garden is an edible garden business in Seattle. Amy Pennington (AKA the Go Go Green Gardener) started the business in 2014, with a focus on making edible gardening more accessible to those that may not feel they have the skills or resources for it. Amy can be hired to create (and in some cases maintain) gardens on people’s private property. While this is a business, Amy’s focus on native foods, crop rotation, and supporting community members’ engagement with their food makes this much more than a means of income.
Amy is also one of the founders of our fifth example of edible urban agriculture.
Urban Gardenshare is a free digital platform designed to connect Gardeners with unused or underused gardens. The process is simple: create an account; indicating your name, neighborhood, and experience, along with a few other procedural details, and start communicating with others in your area. The distinction between gardens and gardeners allows for one to move seamlessly through potential matches, and start growing food sooner.
While this project is focused on the sharing of resources on a mutually beneficial relationship, it does introduce an interesting potential platform for connecting those with skills, with those seeking to learn. For the sake of making this an economically viable social enterprise, an aspect could be added in Halifax for those offering lessons and hands on advice with those looking for a little more help in cultivating their own edible garden at home.
Each of these initiatives feature aspects that could be put to use here in Halifax. From drawing on the example set by others, we can develop a social enterprise on the foundation set by all those before us, learning from their trial and error. This is perhaps the most beautiful aspect of community initiatives in the 21st century, as we are truly able to act locally, while supporting the global bank of knowledge. Hopefully in time, as Common Roots will continue to develop and refine our own social enterprise, others will learn from it, and the urban agriculture movement will continue to spread.
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