Agriculture

The Roulant’s agriculture program aims to build a food system that is healthy, just, and sustainable. Our agriculture projects are designed to support local and organic agriculture while ensuring that the fruits of our labours remain accessible to all regardless of socio-economic status, level of mobility, or degree of autonomy.

By using intensive organic practices, we produce food that nourishes all of our other programs and members of our community. Through our volunteer collectives, we are also able to share out our model of horizontal organizing and decision making to allow Montrealers to dive deep into specific aspects of urban agriculture and engage in their community.

Our sites

The Roulant Farm

The Roulant Rooftop
La Cité Gardens
Terrasses Roy

Our Food

Did you know we are the only Meals-on-Wheels service in Canada to grow its own food?

Our motivation to grow food began with the desire to improve accessibility to good food for our Meals-on-Wheels clients. Since 1996, we have delivered meals 5 days per week, 52 weeks per year, making sure to include high-quality local, fresh, in-season and organic ingredients as much as possible. Our farm, roof, and urban gardens support our Meals-on-Wheels program, but they do so much more than that, too! Thanks to our agricultural sites, we are able to share our passion with our community members through volunteer shifts, workshops, site visits, community events, and more!

Learn More!

Volunteer

The agricultural program relies on volunteers during the growing season to help out with tasks from watering, to seeding, to harvesting to selling at our markets. Volunteering is a great way to learn more about gardening and local food sources.

Workshops

Workshops are offered to community organizations on a number of subjects related to urban agriculture. They follow the rhythm of the season and allow participants to deepen their gardening know-how and gain the confidence to start their own garden or perfect their techniques.

Visits

Visiting the gardens is a great way to learn more about the possibilities of growing in urban and peri-urban spaces. We offer visits to groups upon reservation, including groups of children. Individuals passing by can also just pop in and have a look!

Seed Library

Come visit our seed library and learn about seed saving and urban agriculture techniques. Our goal with this project is to provide free access to a variety of seeds while encouraging people to grow their own food.

Corporate Engagement

Our agricultural sites are great spaces for a day of team-building at the Roulant. If you are interested in organizing a day in the fields with your team, get in touch with Kate to learn more!

Internships

We offer internships on the farm over the course of the growing season. Internships are primarily run with partner organizations, but can occasionally be established individually as well.

Our Collectives!

Mycollective

Spreading spores of knowledge to those fascinated by the microscopic world of mushrooms and their place in Montreal’s urban agriculture community.

Fruits Défendus

Facilitating the connection between fruit tree owners and volunteer harvesters, and finding new uses for forgotten urban fruit through the transformation of food.

Vermicompost

Tending to the Roulant’s worm friends and increasing our capacity to compost and organic waste produced in house and make fertilizer for our gardens.

Apiculture

Working towards sustainability for beekeeping in Montreal by maintaining colonies of bees, and creating a buzz around the role of pollinators.