Food Access: Community Models for Vibrant Farmers’ Markets

Things looking a bit different?
Nope, you're not on the wrong site – we're updating our look and content! Keep your eyes peeled for more changes!

Author: Bronwyn Clement

Posted: March 11, 2015

Categories: Events / Food Access / GoodFoodBites / News from Sustain Ontario / Webinars / Working Group News

This webinar is the 5th in a series of conversations around food access and policy within our network and we invite you to take part. To learn more about the Food Access Peer Learning Circle (PLC) and how to be involved please contact Bronwyn Clement, bronwyn@sustainontario.ca

Join us for a webinar from 2-3:30pm on Wednesday, March 25th to hear from market managers, public health practitioners, and community organizers, in a discussion of various projects and public policy initiatives working to make farmers’ markets accessible to broader communities. Go directly to the registration page.

Foodshare mobile good food market. Credit: http://www.1ohww.org/toronto-mobile-fresh-produce-rolls-city-suburbs/Access to healthy foods is a critical component of healthy, thriving communities and a sustainable food system. Farmers’ markets provide a space to purchase fresh, affordable products that reflect the diversity of a community and region. Farmers’ markets can also be community hubs, vibrant public spaces, and may offer a variety of programming. Yet there are barriers to making farmers’ markets accessible to everyone in the community – from zoning by-laws to perceptions of affordability. This webinar looks at four programs from across Southern Ontario that are working to make farmers’ markets more accessible and engaging for their communities and, in turn, strengthening the support for local farmers.

Register for the webinar and learn more about the presenters below.

Co-op Cred Program / West End Food Co-op

WEFC Co-op-cred-team-in-garden-300x224Corry Ouellette, Sorauren Farmers’ Market Coordinator. “Co-op Cred is an alternative currency program at the West End Food Co-op in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto. The program began as a pilot in 2012/2013 as a joint initiative with PARC and Greenest City. In this innovative food security program, PARC Ambassadors spend time working in various ways at WEFC – in the co-op store, gardens, and kitchen – and in exchange for their labour receive Co-op Credit dollars which can be used to purchase fresh groceries at the co-op and the Sorauren Farmers’ Market.

The Co-op Cred program is designed to address systemic challenges that prevent many of Parkdale’s low-income and marginalized community members from fully participating in the local economy. Many – in particular those with mental health and addiction challenges – face significant barriers to entering the workforce, such as lack of Canadian experience, long-term unemployment, stigma attached to mental health, and the unpredictability of a health condition. Due to a lack of suitable opportunities, they often rely on social assistance programs, which have proved to be inadequate in supporting their transition back into the workforce.”

Food Spaces, Vibrant Places / Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable

WR Food Systems Roundtable food spaces vibrant places 1

Marc Xuereb is a Public Health Planner with the Healthy Eating & Active Communities program at Region of Waterloo Public Health. His responsibilities include providing staff support to the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable, which is a group that connects the community to the work of building a healthy, just, and sustainable food system. He will speak about the Roundtable’s Food Spaces, Vibrant Places campaign, which was launched in 2014 to support more temporary farmers’ markets and community gardens in Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo.

The premise of the Food Spaces campaign is that temporary farmers’ markets and community gardens need to be located within walking and transit access of where people live, work, and play. This will help strengthen neighbourhoods, build community, and keep families healthy.

The goals of the project include:

  • Zoning by-laws that permit temporary farmers’ markets in residential, institutional, open space, as well as commercial zones
  • Supportive licensing by-laws and regulations for temporary farmers’ markets
  • Incentives such as reduced or waived fees for temporary farmers’ markets
  • Zoning by-laws that permit community gardens in residential, institutional, and open space zones

Mobile Good Food Market / FoodShare

Mobile good food marketAngela ElzingaCheng, Urban Agriculture and Community Food Animation Manager with FoodShare Toronto. “A significant number of Torontonians face economic and geographic barriers to accessing healthy and culturally appropriate food on a regular basis. While low income is the biggest barrier, many also live in neighbourhoods that have few quality and affordable food retail options within easy walking distance, along with relatively poor access to public transit. Even people living in areas that are well served by healthy food retail can face challenges, especially seniors, newcomers, those with disabilities and single parents with young children. One of the solutions is to promote innovative food access options, such as mobile food vending.

The Mobile Good Food Market is a truck that travels across Toronto selling affordable fresh food in neighbourhoods, selected through consultation with local communities and analysis of access gaps.”

Market Dollars / Pathways to Potential, Windsor Essex County’s Poverty Reduction Strategy

WEPRS Pathways to Potential MarketDollars1-199x300Laura Tucker, Community Engagement Coordinator with Pathway to Potential. “The Market Dollars program was designed to improve lives in Windsor-Essex County by allowing community members, experiencing low income, to have access to healthy foods and resources they may otherwise lack. Community members are empowered to make their own healthy food choices while contributing to the betterment of our community. Market Dollars users practice skills learned at the markets that can improve their lives in a positive, healthy and lasting way.

Pathway To Potential (P2P) is a network of organizations and people that is focused on the prevention and reduction of poverty in Windsor-Essex. P2P accomplishes this by engaging the community to identify and remove barriers to social and economic resources through education, research, and advocacy. The areas P2P focuses on are: income security and equality, literacy and lifelong learning, employment and training, food security.

Register now!

Can you tell me more about the Food Access Peer Learning Circle?

Sustain Ontario is hosting a series of educational webinars and discussions to investigate, discuss, and share resources on a variety of food access topics. The peer learning circle (PLC) aims to be an avenue to strengthen existing collaborative networks, share knowledge and tools, support initiatives across the food community, and come to a place of agreement on ideas for the network and government to move forward on.

The Food Access Peer Learning Circle is one of four targeted learning circles to come out of Healthy Food for All: Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems in Ontario, a project intended to increase the capacity of local communities working towards a sustainable food system in Ontario.

Have a question or comment about Community Models for Farmers’ Markets or the peer learning circle but can’t make it to the webinar? Post it in the comment section below and we’ll ask it for you during the webinar!

Register for the webinar.

Additional Resources

Check out the recording from our April 2013 webinar on Farmers’ Market Vouchers!