The Salt Spring Agricultural Alliance (SS-AA) and the Salt Spring Community Economic Sustainability Commission (CESC) are pleased to announce a new initiative that seeks to expand local food production and enhance the economic viability of farming. ‘Grow Local’ is an eight-month pilot project being launched this month.
This new initiative will turn key recommendations from the Salt Spring Island Area Farm Plan into action. The main goals of the project are to build collaborative opportunities and test innovative marketing strategies that strengthen the regional food economy.
Local producers and food justice advocates Nick Jones and Polly Orr are co-leading the Grow Local initiative. The Grow Local team will be responsible for testing food systems that develop and strengthen short supply chains for the food we eat; making connections and building relationships across the region to increase the viability of island businesses and reduce our carbon footprint.
A robust local food network not only provides more nutritious food for our tables it increases community resilience in the face of the climate emergency.
Grow Local is looking to build an enduring network of participants who want to help envision and grow our local food system. Local growers, producers, distributors & consumers who are interested in scaling up their productivity within the Salt Spring network are invited to contact Nick and Polly to for more information and to become involved.
Interested? Please contact Polly and Nick at growlocalssi@gmail.com
Grow Local’s core funding was secured from BC’s Island Coastal Economic Trust (ICET), thanks to CESC’s leadership in promoting agricultural economic capacity building for Salt Spring. Additional funding was contributed by CESC through the Capital Regional District (CRD).
Grow Local acknowledges that all opportunities and possibilities of this project are enacted on the traditional unceded territories of the Hul’q’umi’num’ and SENĆOŦEN speaking peoples. With food systems having such an intimate connection to the land, this project will center and uphold Indigenous perspectives and input throughout their process.
