Urban Agriculture

London, Ontario

November 19, 2016

Lauren Baker

Toronto

Havana

Nairobi

Amersfoort

What is urban agriculture?

• Growing of plants and the raising

of animals within and around cities

• Cultivating, processing,

distributing and selling food

• Integrated into the urban

economic and ecological system

• Linked to issues of employment

and labour; resources; access to

food; urban ecology, the urban

food system, other urban land use

functions, urban policies and plans

- RUAF Foundation

Dimensions of urban

agriculture

• Diversity of people involved

• Land use

• Types of products grown

• Types of economic activity

• Product destination / degree of

market orientation

• Scales of production and

technology used

Embedding urban agriculture

• With in the context of broader

drivers, trends, threats and

opportunities

• With in the context of city

region food systems

• With in municipal/regional

social, cultural, economic, and

environmental priorities

Benefits of urban agriculture

• Food security

• Economic development

• Youth engagement

• Community engagement

• Active public spaces

• Environmental sustainability

• Physical activity

Toronto’s Urban Agriculture History

History of City Council

Decisions 1997 - PF+R Community gardens program created

1999 - City Council endorses Community Garden Action Plan

2005 - Community Food Animators program created

2009 - City Council endorses “Identifying Urban Agricultural Opportunities in the City”

2010 - Toronto Food Strategy recognizes importance of urban agriculture

2011 - City Council endorses the Greater Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Action Plan

2012 - GrowTO: An Urban Agriculture Action Plan for Toronto

2013 - Toronto Agriculture Program created

2015 - Milan Urban Food Policy Pact signed

2016 - Market City strategy launched

Achievements | Opportunities • Community and allotment garden

programs

• Soil assessment guide

• Community orchards

• School gardens and farms

• Market gardens (residential

apartment commercial; hydro

corridors?)

• Live Green funding

• FoodStarter, Food Strategy

initiatives

• More clarity on growing and selling

• Market gardens in city parks

• Enabling zoning and land use by-

laws

• Backyard Hens

• Composting

• City support for education and

training

• UA as recreational opportunity

• Edible landscaping

Harnessing the

potential of urban

agriculture

MANY OF THESE VEGGIES CAN BE GROWN HERE

Locally Grown World Crops

Solve problems by making unlikely connections

Bring new people into food and farming

Make the link between environment and agriculture

Increase food literacy

Create new food enterprise models

Text

Increase access to healthy food

Engage communities as problem solvers

Catalyze the role of food in city building

Toronto Partners for Student Nutrition

Shared funding provided by:

Parents School board

City of Toronto Province

Leverage resources for shared responsibility

Understand the multiple benefits of good food

AGRICULTURE to ACCESS Common food policy initiatives

Agricultural and/or food and farming

assessment

local producers/business survey

Alternative Land Use Services

Feasibility study of aggregation and

distribution

Food hub

Community shared agriculture

(CSA)

Urban farm

New farmer training

Food and farm events and festivals

Food tourism

Food box program

Community garden

Local produce auctions

Incubator kitchens

Business planning and retention

strategy for food business

Local food map

Farmers market

Good food markets

Farm/local food coop

Designated “local” section in grocery

stores

Community Food Centre

School food and food literacy projects

Urban orchard

Local food cooking series

Youth initiatives

Official Plan review

Food strategy or action plan

Stay in touch:

www.tfpc.to

Twitter @TOfoodpolicy

Facebook:

Friends of Toronto Food Policy Council