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In the 2018 season, the Saskatoon Food Bank’s garden bed had a total harvest of 21,720 pounds, an increase of more than 3,800 pounds. over last year’s 17,824 pounds. from eating.
Author of the article:
• Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Publication date:
October 13, 2018 • October 13, 2018 • Read for 3 minutes • Join the conversation Adrian Werner, Urban Agriculture Manager at Saskatoon Food Bank, in the Garden Patch of the Food Bank in downtown Saskatoon on October 12, 2018. Photo by Matt Olson / Saskatoon StarPhoenix /Saskatoon
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The amount of food produced in the urban garden of the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Center is growing as 2018 marked the second record year in a row for the urban farming project.
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The 2018 season saw a total harvest of 21,720 pounds, an increase of more than 3,800 pounds. compared to the previous year’s record in 2017 of 17,824 lbs. from eating.
The record-breaking harvest came as a bit of a surprise to Adrian Werner, program manager for urban agriculture at the food bank, as the garden had a short and dry growing season. The products are used to fill the blackboard’s emergency grocery baskets.
“With that we can really say that we have arrived,” he said, “that we have figured out how we can implement these projects in a sustainable way.”
Werner said the main focus of the garden bed has always been on demonstration, education and production – and this year’s record yield shows how a volunteer community garden can generate gardener-level yields.
Adrian Werner, Urban Agriculture Manager at Saskatoon Food Bank, in the Garden Patch of the Food Bank in downtown Saskatoon on October 12, 2018. Photo by Matt Olson / Saskatoon StarPhoenix /Saskatoon
In addition to an increase in the amount of food produced, Werner said, 2018 was a record year for the number of volunteer hours done in the garden patch, increasing to around 3,829 hours compared to the previous record of 2,983 hours in 2017.
“People know the Garden Patch is a great place to volunteer,” said Werner, as it’s also a place to get work experience or even a reference. “It creates a community that people would love to spend time in, and we have really benefited from investing in our volunteers over the years.”
Yvonne Hanson, Executive Director of CHEP Good Food Inc., said that while the work of the Food Bank Garden Patch is important, she believes that there needs to be more “entry points” in a community where people can get healthy food, since rising food prices can burden the most vulnerable in a city.
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“The table and the fact that they had a bumper crop is great, but it’s a stopgap measure. We still have to look at it as a food bank, ”she said. “So … aside from a blackboard, how are we actually trying to promote healthy eating in our community at large, especially for the vulnerable – people on low incomes. How can we ensure that food is always accessible, affordable and healthy? “
Hanson said more and more people are realizing the benefits of being in control of their nutritional system, as there is a “huge, long waiting list” for people looking to grow their own food.
“People recognize the value of good food and also realize that it feels pretty good to be in control of your own food system and to know what’s in your food – in production,” she said.
Hanson said the end goal should be to make sure everyone is in control of their food.
“Unfortunately we live in a place in a society where there is a discrepancy between those who have it and those who don’t and those who don’t, we can’t starve them so we have to somehow respond, ”she said. “Ultimately, we should aim for everyone to have autonomy over their own food system.”
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