Tag Archives: Sole Food Street Farm – Urban Street Farm

Sole Food Street Farm – Urban Street Farm

Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is home to an Urban Street Farm that produces 25 tons of food and employs the unemployable.

Since its inception seven years ago, Sole Food Street Farms has turned acres of decrepit urban land into a prosperous street farm. The farm grows fruits and vegetables, which are harvested by some of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside residents.

Downtown Eastside is notorious for being rough around the edges, so you wouldn’t immediately know that about 30 of its inhabitants are farm workers that take on many tasks: planting seeds, caring for plants, harvesting fruits and vegetables. The street farm is even home to an orchard with 500 trees with various fruits such as apples, pears, plums, cherries, and even persimmons, figs and quince.

The street farm produces 25 tons of food annually on pavement.

It’s not just the employees that make this farm special, it’s the benefits attached to it. Gardening like this gives people a reason to tend to something every day because the community relies on them and the produce itself depends on their care.

Workers are also shown how to cook and taught basic financial skills and canning.

Sole Food Farms transforms vacant urban land into street farms that grow artisan quality fruit and vegetables, available at farmers markets, local restaurants and retail outlets.

Sole Food Farms mission is to empower individuals with limited resources by providing jobs, agricultural training and inclusion in a supportive community of farmers and food lovers.

During the past 7 years, Sole Food Street Farms, now North America’s largest urban farm project has transformed acres of vacant and contaminated urban land into street farms.

The Sole Food project has empowered dozens of individuals with limited resources who are managing addiction and chronic mental health problems.

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/vancouver-street-farm/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=global&utm_campaign=general-content