Educational Sessions and Capacity Building:
Recently, Lands staff secured a grant from the Ministry of Agriculture to complete a TFN Agricultural Business Plan. The business plan report recommends four key initiatives:
- training/education and capacity building
- edible landscapes on TFN lands
- TFN Community Garden and;
- Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).
In keeping with Executive Council’s focus on increased training/education and capacity building for Members, Lands staff secured another grant for Earth Day and planned some agricultural educations sessions.
So far, Lands staff have facilitated two agricultural educational sessions, for the Members Agricultural Advisory Working Group (MAAWG).
First agricultural education session on March 11, 2020 at Lands Board Room:
This 2-hour session focused on innovative ideas on sustainable agriculture. The speaker, Jane Squire is a horticulturist with over 40 years of hands-on experience operating successful small- and medium-sized greenhouse businesses and market gardens.
The session was very informative and motivating for the 10 Members that attended as it related to how she started small with her experiments, learned from mistakes and how much the farm has grown through her love, passion, research and caring.
It encouraged the participants to think outside the box and believe that ideas can be brought to life with dedication and passion.
Due to the COVID 19 risks these agricultural education sessions have moved online. Learning is not bound by physical challenges! Each one of us is motivated and is learning something new everyday.
Second online agricultural education session on May 06, 2020 through ZOOM:
This 2-hour session titled “Vegetable Gardening 101” was attended by 13 participants a beginners-level gardening workshop that was informative, easy to understand, comprehensive and covered the basics that each one of us needs to know to start growing our own vegetables.
Topics like soil health basics, planting (from seed and transplanting), watering, fertility, harvesting, plant health, troubleshooting, and information about the most common vegetable plant families and what they need to thrive, were covered through slides and video, including Q and A for participants to clarify their doubts.
In the current COVID 19 situation local food security has become so crucial and this being the planting season, each one us can experiment some of the ideas learned from this session in their own yards and gardening spaces.
Mik Turje, the presenter is a Coordinator at the Renfrew-Collingwood Food Security Institute – Collingwood Neighbourhood House. Mik is a passionate gardening educator with a background in farming.
Upcoming agricultural educational sessions:
The next session is on May 13, 2020 is titled “Food Security Ideas and Stories” and will be conducted by A Rocha, again through the Zoom platform. A Rocha is a local organization dedicated to preserving sensitive habitats and threatened species, growing organic food and feeding people living on low income, inspiring school children and training young people.
The sessions in June 2020 are being finalized.
The agricultural education sessions are expected to create interest, excitement, motivation and educate all TFN members with respect to agricultural initiatives and staff will explore ways of reaching out to the whole community, through the online sessions.
Stay tuned for more updates!