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Canada: Seneca College research project aims to attract a new generation of urban farmers in Toronto

Jessey Njau and Misha Shodjaee, co-founders of Zawadi Farm, are working to build a small farmers’ co-operative in Toronto.

“We want anyone who comes into urban farming to understand the ethos and that food is political. When farming, start small. It’s a lot of work. You understand you’re investing in the soil and the power of the nutrients and fertility of the soil.”

By Tamara Shephard
The Star
Aug 27, 2021

Excerpt:

Currently, 75 members purchase weekly or biweekly their customizable boxes brimming with garden-fresh produce the friends grow in six Toronto backyards, including their own, and at the company’s two urban farms at Downsview Park.

What produce remains unsold goes to a FoodShare Toronto program, which sells the produce at reduced prices to low-income people at community markets.

Urban farming in Toronto is a challenge, Njau said.

“It’s a race between us and developers (for scarce Toronto land),” said Njau, who worked in technology before starting Zawadi Farm five years ago. Zawadi means “gift” in Swahili. “We hire youth interested in the source of food. The better the soil is, the better the crop becomes. We’re soil managers now. A friend challenged us to think of ourselves as stewards. The land was here before us and will outlive us. We believe we need to be good stewards of it.”

A new research project by Seneca college aims to address those challenges by helping existing and potential urban farmers and laying the foundation for sustainable urban agricultural businesses. The college recently received a $360,000 grant to lead the three-year project, which begins next month.

“It’s bringing together finance and biology know-how around the subject of urban agriculture,” said West Suhanic, a professor at Seneca’s School of Accounting and Financial Services. “We’re also going to be working with active urban farmers and offering training in business and science.”

Read the complete article here.