Canada: New urban farm aims to train a new generation of farmers in Kingston
The average age of farmers in Canada is 59, and since 1990 the number of young farmers in the country has declined by more than 70 per cent.
By Elliot Ferguson
The Whig
Sep 09, 2022
Excerpt:
A new urban farm in a corner of Collins Bay Institution property is aiming to train the next generation of local farmers.
The property, adjacent to the community garden next to Centre 70, is a partnership between the Correctional Service Canada, the City of Kingston, St. Lawrence College and Loving Spoonful.
The farm is to provide a venue for training people with an interest in becoming farmers, said Ayla Fenton, the food services manager for Loving Spoonful.
“Loving Spoonful was founded over 10 years ago and originally it started off with really just food rescue work, so collecting surplus food and redistributing it throughout the community,” she said.
“Over the years, we’ve grown our mandate to be much more around actually building food sovereignty in Kingston. So for us, that means supporting local farmer and supporting the growth of a more resilient and justice-oriented food system.”
Fenton said Canada’s agricultural sector is approaching a critical turning point.
The average age of farmers in Canada is 59, and since 1990 the number of young farmers in the country has declined by more than 70 per cent.
About three-quarters of farmers are preparing to retire and sell their land within the next 10 years.
“So it’s urgent if we want to be continuing to produce food in Canada, and in the Kingston region, that we need to be training the next generation of food producers, and this is a really important way to do that,” she said.
