SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Buying local produce is about to get a lot easier this summer thanks to a renewed interest from Yellowknifers in having a farmers market in the city.
Territorial Farmers Association board member France Benoit will be among the vendors at the new farmers market. Benoit is an avid grower, who produced this pea plant. - photo courtesy of France Benoit |
The Yellowknife Commons Cooperative, a newly formed group, is set to run a market from June to September. For the first month it will be held in conjunction with Yellowknife's garden parties at city hall but could relocate in the later months.
The idea for the event was sparked by a survey, run by local Amy Lizotte, which she did as part of her final research project for her graduate degree with Royal Roads University in Victoria, B.C. In the survey, Lizotte asked Yellowknifers a series of questions, including whether they would attend a farmers market if it was available. Ninety-six per cent of the 450 participants said they would.
Once it was established the interest was there, a group of residents formed the co-operative and together established three goals: co-ordinate the farmers market, increase access to land for urban farmers and promote local food production.
This is not the first farmers market that Yellowknife has seen. Another event ran in the 1990s and there were others even before that, said Lizotte, who is a founding member of the co-operative.
"There were farmers markets as soon as the mines started up and people came to work," she said. "They were productive or very vibrant until the '70s when the road really significantly improved to Yellowknife."
Already 15 vendors have signed up to be a part of this latest market, added Lizotte.
Among the vendors is Territorial Farmers Association board member France Benoit who has set aside 400 square feet of her garden solely for commercial sales.
"I've already started lots of seedlings in my house, mainly tomatoes and actually this weekend, Easter weekend is when I will start some of my greens and lettuces and that is the bulk of what I will sell at the farmers market," Benoit explained, adding in two weeks she'll move some of the seedlings from her home into her greenhouse and start planting additional vegetables.
Other sellers are also planning to display locally grown, made or harvested foods such as fresh produce, fish, wild edibles, jam, salsas, breads and ice cream.
Benoit said she hopes residents will not only be excited to purchase the food from the market but be inspired by the event.
"We wanted to be more food secure in Yellowknife and help with economic development and tourism and empower people to learn how to grow food and revive a local food production system, which now is all dependent from down south," she said. "We just wanted to regain some of that power."
To further promote urban farming the co-operative is looking to access residents' underutilized gardens and put them to use. Interested parties are asked to contact the co-operative.
