Food for Resilience: Transatlantic Lessons from Community Gardens and Farms

This event brought together experiences between networks, growers and urban farmers from London, Toronto, and New York City to show how gardens and farms are contributing toward their cities’ resilience, food security, and Covid-19 response.

Organised by Capital Growth (part of Sustain) in London, NYC Parks GreenThumb in New York, and Toronto Urban Growers, this webinar shared lessons from across the pond on how community gardens and urban farms can respond to crisis, build solidarity among neighbours and prepare for the road ahead.

Watch the recording of the event 

Please note you will need the following password to access the recording: Garden2020

The event included presentations from each of the networks, stories from the gardens and farms as well as a Q&A. It was chaired by Melana Roberts, Chairperson of the board of Food Secure Canada.

Stories of resilience - who spoke and from which community gardens?

• NYC: Karen Washington, from the Garden of Happiness, speaking about Bronx Community Farm Hubs 

• NYC:  Mark Leger, gardener at Phoenix Community Garden speaking about Phoenix’s food access and COVID response activities   

• London:  Kiloran O’Leary from Global Generation speaking about The Story Garden’s involvement in Community Harvest and other COVID responses

• London:  Alice Holden, Head Grower at Growing Communities Dagenham Farm - an organic farm based in outer London growing produce for sale locally and through a box scheme, while  supporting various community initiatives 

• Toronto:  Jessey Njau, www.zawadi.farm - backyard farmer building community in Thistletown neighbourhood

• Toronto:  Isaac Crosby, Lead Hand in Urban Agriculture and Indigenous gardens at Evergreen Brick Works