Neighbourhood Food Networks

278 members

Description

VV's been very active around food resiliency over the past 13 years through our Neighbourhood Food Networks. Focusing on 4 areas: Action,  Education, Planning (the Community Food Resiliency component of our Energy Descent Action Plan), and Collaboration. As a Transition Town Hub and Initiative,  WE CULTIVATE COMMUNITY, WE GROW FOOD, WE HELP BUILD A MORE RESILIENT, JUST, AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM.

VV is a member of Vancouver Neighbourhood Food Networks.

Comments Discussions Members

  • Arzeena Hamir

    Great Permaculture video - Farms for the Future:

    http://www.viddler.com/explore/PermaScience/videos/4/

    Jan 20, 2010

  • Yee Tong

    Four Watermelon plants in containers looking for a warm balcony with southern exposure

    or

    A spot in your warm and sunny well tended garden with room to lay straw down for fruit as the vines run...I can supply straw.

    Who will have them?

    May 13, 2010

  • Randy Chatterjee

    In this article from the Independent of London (click here for a on... the value of school gardening curricula are demontrated. Vancouver is set to close as many as a dozen primary and secondary schools, and provides little or no opportunity for children to connect to nature. Are we missing something here? What can VV help to do to bring especially edible gardening into our classrooms?

    Jun 28, 2010

  • Ann Pacey

    Great series on Urban agriculture in Grist. Check it out
    http://www.grist.org/article/series/food-feeding-the-city

    Aug 10, 2010

  • Angela Squires

    I'm interested in the big picture of food security and especially the seed issue. We are in great danger of losing farmers' and individual rights to our seeds; Govt/big business are poised to grab by design/stupidity.
    See: Common Ground Nov issue or National Farmers Union.

    Nov 13, 2010

  • Julie Thomson

    Hi, Just in case there is any interest, I have just learned about a range of distance courses on food security provided by the FAO and EU. The URL is: http://www.foodsec.org/DL/dlintro_en.asp

    Nov 16, 2010

  • Angela Squires

    At our dinner at the Naam last Sunday Randy brought up an idea for a new location for the Kits Community garden as the neighbourhood house will be under construction for some 3 years. It is about an acre to the south of the Vancouver School of Music, unused, and costing the Parks Board some 60,000 annually to maintain as in cut the grass! I have this glorious vision of an orchard, produce and flower garden operated by the community. This could be a model for the Transition movement and VV. There are vast tracts of grass doing nothing, serving no-one, that could be permacultured - woohoo!

    Nov 16, 2010

  • Ross Moster

    Hey Angela,

    There are a few ideas floating around for a village community garden. See also the discussion on the Kits Village Page -- you might want to post this there as well.

    Cheers,
    Ross

    Nov 16, 2010

  • Angela Squires

    Hi Amy:
    Welcome and great to see you officially joined. Our January potluck will be at the Billy Bishop Legion (BB) on Kits Point. The BB is my living room especially when it's really cold. Hope to see you at the Dec potluck at Mary's co-op.

    Nov 19, 2010

  • Louise Trusler Mangan

    I too love Randy's idea of moving the Kitsilano community garden to the land near the Vancouver Academy of Music. Brilliant!

    Nov 19, 2010

  • Randy Chatterjee

    Just correcting that Twin Harvest is not my idea. That recognition belongs to Diane Lafontaine. I am just a conduit for helping to promote what I think is a brilliant urban permaculture solution.

    However, having heard nothing back from the City for over a year now, I am at wits end about how to proceed. I am considering taking the concept to Seattle or Portland. It has to get done somewhere, or it is vaporware. A demonstration is a necessary next step.

    Nov 19, 2010

  • Ross Moster

    BTW, I think we're maybe talking about a couple approaches here (which is fine) - an urban farming approach (people farming to sell), and the community gardening approach (more the growing for ones' self and neighbours). Both are great, and can be complimentary in terms of moving towards food resiliency.

    Nov 19, 2010

  • Louise Trusler Mangan

    Who has been involved in the conversation from the City Hall end, Randy?

    Nov 19, 2010

  • Tracey

    Hi all, I'm joining your discussion late with a suggestion. Why not get together a group & request to speak to city councillours, or at City Council? Outline the work done to date to engage the City and ask Council for support and advice on how to proceed. The Mayor and some councillors are very supportive of land use & food security issues and they are our representatives. So, just some thoughts.

    *Tracey*

    Nov 20, 2010

  • Louise Trusler Mangan

    I concur with Tracey's suggestion, and may have a few (lightly held) connections that could be helpful. If you would like to get a few of us together on this, Randy, I'll be pleased to participate however possible. Seems the idea hasn't quite touched the right nerve yet!

    Nov 20, 2010

  • Angela Squires

    I agree with Louise and Tracey's comments. We need to engage the politicians, the City Real Estate Dept, even the private developers who can advise us and know how to find the 'back door'!
    Randy we can make this happen; we must make it happen.

    Nov 20, 2010

  • David William Martin

    Hi, everyone: I have had a number of meetings with the City's Director of Real Estate, Michael Flanigan, about a separate issue. He and I actually get along quite well. I also have had a couple of meetings with Penny Ballem, the City Manager, on real estate issues. If there were a get-together regarding the Kitsilano community garden, I would be glad to attend to give my perspective.

    As a general comment, the City is super-careful not to "give" land away. It is basically illegal to do so. If a group wants to use land for something semi-permanent like a food garden, the City has to figure out a way to do the right thing without, at the same time, tying its own hands in the future. DWM

    Nov 20, 2010

  • Angela Squires

    The way the City avoids giving land away is by granting a renewable long-term lease as in 99 years.

    Nov 20, 2010

  • Randy Chatterjee

    IMHO, the idea needs a champion through the Council and staff, a person connected to both the existent urban farming community and the large property owners and managers who will share the benefit of greener buildings and a more active and attractive neighbourhood.

    The City needs to hear from both in parallel, and the entire community also deserves a respectful audience to contribute ideas and voice concerns at every step.

    Each Vancouver neighbourhood must exercise its most crucial democratic right to decide whether or not to approve a Twin Harvest project on local open land, including possible compensation and/or tax forbearance for its owner. Without a broad community embrace on all main points, the project cannot succeed.

    Nov 20, 2010

  • Randy Chatterjee

    Regarding David's excellent points below, I fully expect this project to remain in public hands as a cash-positive venture . The economic and ecological externalities are hugely positive, but let us not forget that a city runs on cash.

    Council must also not unnecessarily fetter itself with regard to land planning, and this project must be pursued as a flexible and resilient installation that is dependent on continued community support.

    Nov 20, 2010

  • Jordan B

    New York City Council has just unveiled the most comprehensive vision for urban food security ever: http://www.council.nyc.gov/html/action_center/food.shtml

    Shouldn't Vancouver have something like this as well?

    Nov 27, 2010

  • Angela Squires

    http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/12/23/LocalFoodBill/?utm_source=mondayh...

    Emulate Illinois and pass a Local Food, Farms and Jobs Act. Wannabe party leaders, take note!

    Dec 27, 2010

  • Ross Moster

    The Permaculture PET (blitz) day (see events page) is at my place tomorrow. It looks like we have a pretty good crowd coming, but if anyone else wants to join us or just stop by to say hi, you're more than welcome to.

    Apr 16, 2011

  • Amy Tran

    The Lawns to Loaves Project

    The Environmental Youth Alliance is teaming up with The Flour Peddler (http://www.theflourpeddler.com/), Chris Hergesheimer, on a unique, exciting new project to build grain-growing capacity in Vancouver. We loved his idea and wanted to jump on this amazing opportunity. From Chris' new blog, "Our vision is to create an urban wheat farm from an intricate patchwork of micro-fields located alongside alleyways and in backyards, in front yards and on boulevards. Churchs, schools, parks, parking lots…" (http://lawnstoloaves.wordpress.com/)

     

    The idea is to have 20-30 people across the city grow a patch of grain, roughly 10' by 10' (or larger!)* and get together at the end of the season to process and mill the grain which will then be turned into delicious, local, whole grain bread and pizza dough. At an informational session on May 1st, participants will be taken through the process of how to turn sod into grain. A seed and information package will also be provided, as well as ongoing phone support. If you would like to participate, please contact Hartley (hartley@eya.ca)

     

    If you can grow grass, you can grow your own bread!

     

    *We do want to make this project as accessible as possible, so if you are concerned with (a lack of) space, please get in touch with us anyway!

    Apr 19, 2011

  • Cylia

    Hi Amy:  I love the tag line "Lawns to Loaves".  I would like our community garden at Cedar Cottage to participate and will check in with Hartley and our CCG board.  Thanks for info on yet another great initiative.  Cylia

    Apr 20, 2011

  • Valerie Durant

    How many loaves of bread can you make from a 10 ' x 10 ' area? What do you grow for a winter crop?

    Aug 28, 2011

  • Cylia

    Don't have an answer for the wheat question, and I've overwintered leeks every year, with collards, broccoli, kale, broad beans other years. It's grand living in such a mild climate. 

    Sep 6, 2011

  • Jordan B

    Hi Valerie, my dad's a wheat farmer and he gets an average of around 35 bushels to the acre. I've done some calculations, and assuming you're referring to an area of 100 square FEET and manage a yield of 35 bu/acre, you're looking at just over 2kg of wheat altogether. If you are referring to an area of 100 square METRES, that should correspond to about 23kg of wheat. Hope this helps!

    Sep 6, 2011

  • Jordan B

    There is an interesting free event being put on by the Vancouver Food Policy Council on Oct. 12th:

     

    Our Neighbourhoods, Our Food

    Are you interested in growing your own food or starting a community kitchen? Do you have food skills you’d like to share with your neighbours?

    Come to this lively evening of presentations by community groups from across Vancouver who are making their neighbourhoods more resilient, neighbourly and food secure.

    Go to http://ourneighbourhoodsourfoo d.eventbrite.com/ to register

    Sep 8, 2011