Canada: Urban gardens growing strong amid COVID pandemic – a visit to Vancouver’s City Farmer
For Levenston, the surge of interest in urban farming since he started — particularly this year — points to a future where growing food and community are woven into the fabric of urban life.
By Marc Fawcett-Atkinson
National Observer
October 28th 2020
Excerpt:
More than 40 years later, the garden has expanded and is still going strong. Groups tour between raised beds and greenhouses, the organization’s vermicomposting (worm compost) program is thriving on site and in Metro Vancouver schools, and mask-clad people — staff, volunteers, curious passersby — venture through the garden daily, six feet apart.
“People come to relax, away from the road — (and) we grow everything. It’s just a fun place to be every day,” he said.
It’s a pattern echoed across the country, with 69 per cent of Canadian gardeners saying their time among the veggies is relaxing.
For Levenston, the surge of interest in urban farming since he started — particularly this year — points to a future where growing food and community are woven into the fabric of urban life. And in the meantime, he plans on continuing to help people get back to the land, in the city.
“It’s morale-boosting, spirit-raising, that’s why we all like it. And that’s as good, or more, than the food,” he said.
