What a season! In the urban agriculture program this year, 123 volunteers worked tirelessly, rain or shine, to grow almost a hundred varieties of plants across three agricultural sites.
The gardens of Terrasses Roy continued to be well utilized by the wider community of the Plateau, particularly during our weekly Friday hangs. For eighteen weeks, the people of Montreal showed up in droves, sharing 2,059 free bowls of soup, purchasing fresh vegetables grown at our farm in Senneville (and right here at the Roulant!) and serenading the community at one of the seven karaoke kiosks. We are so pleased by how the community has continued to use and improve the Terrasses, which has gone from a regular road to a garden where anyone can harvest fresh vegetables, herbs, and berries.
In our rooftop gardens, we continued our commitment to education on gardening and food security by hosting workshops for children and adults alike. This year also marked the return of the balcony garden, a living example of what Montrealers can grow on their balconies – in the same size and shape as the average Montreal balcony!
At La Cité, we hosted even more workshops for youth and continued collaboration with partner organizations Ivirtivik and Comm-Un to bring the healing potential of the gardens to those experiencing homelessness and hardship. Comm-Un shared with us their vast knowledge of medicinal plants and Indigenous methods of permaculture, leading to the planting of the three sisters, a traditional planting of beans, squash, and corn.
This year brought many changes to the urban agriculture program, most notably the departure of its long time Program Manager, Magali, who is now enjoying sunny Spain where she is completing a masters degree in Artistic Mediation for Social Transformation. The new year will bring many wonderful surprises for urban agriculture, including a new Program Manager. The urban agriculture program is in a space of change and opportunity for new growth, and we can’t wait to see what the coming year will bring.
The curiosity, inclusiveness, and hard work that volunteers and the wider community have brought to urban agriculture this season has been wonderful to witness. Every shift in the gardens with you all was a pleasure, and we feel very lucky to have spent the season with you.
Thank you for your commitment to supporting urban agriculture. We hope that the presence of urban agriculture added to your summer, no matter how you are involved at the Roulant. You’ve made this summer unforgettable for us.
With gratitude,
Your Urban Agriculture Team
Evangeline, Noah, and Simone