One recent evening, I turned to the shelf in our living room that houses back issues of The Countryman and picked one at random.
Book Review: Street Farm: Growing Food, Jobs, and Hope on the Urban Frontier
By Sally Luce
In this remarkable book, farmer/activist Michael Ableman tells the captivating story of the creation of Sole Food, a community farm started in 2009 in the parking lot of the Astoria Hotel in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Sole Food’s aims are to provide meaningful employment for the area’s hard-to-employ residents and to operate a commercially viable farm.
From Farm to Folks: “Growing Good” in Montreal
By Alayne Moody
Santropol Roulant’s meals-on-wheels program, servicing mobility-restricted individuals, has reached a beautiful level of integration now that they've added an organic farm operation to supply vegetables for their program. The farm fulfills the organization’s social mission and supports the development of aspiring young farmers, generating sustainable returns on small plots of land.
Book Review: Digging the City: An Urban Agriculture Manifesto
By Anouk Mackenzie
Our food system is broken and profit-driven corporations are to blame. With no magic bullet in sight to such a complex problem, urban organic agriculture will have to be part of the solution.
Lettuce, Not Lawns: Farming in the City
By Janet Wallace
Among the manicured lawns edged with rhododendrons and ornamental grasses, one front yard stands out with rows of arugula, spinach and tomatoes. The grass is confined to the periphery of the yard.
Belief and Farming: Remembering Clark Phillips
By Jeff Schnurr
Clark inspired generations of farmers since he settled in New Brunswick during the 70’s. He lived as an example, proving what hard work and principle could achieve.
SOLEFood: Farming in Vancouvers Downtown Eastside
By Virginie Lavallée-Picard
In Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, a new model of urban agriculture is creating employment opportunities for inner city residents, greening the streets and improving food security in the neighbourhood.