Urban Agriculture: Our Vision & Goals
VISION: Good food for everyone is possible when adults and youth have the skills, capacity, and the will to act as food citizens and land stewards.
PURPOSE: To help people grow and share healthy food for themselves, their families and friends and the planet!
CORE VALUES: Our core values are at the heart of everything we do here at the CGC. We are inclusive, passionate, empowering, responsible and innovative. Our beliefs drive us towards our vision and direct our activities in our Urban Agriculture program.
We believe that good, healthy food is a right for all people.
We believe that food is an inspiring and mobilizing force for good.
We believe that education is the first step toward positive personal and systems change.
We believe that healthy food systems are dependent upon a healthy environment and empowered communities.
We believe that how we work together is as important as the work we do.
We believe that collective action is imperative for food systems change.
LEARNING GOALS: The core of our work is fostering healthy relationships with food, nature and community, in both our participants and ourselves. Our learning goals support those essential relationships, which are interconnected and reflect one another.
To have a healthy relationship with food by making informed food choices, knowing how to prepare healthy meals and becoming active food citizens. That might look like:
Understanding that there is no one “right” way to eat and that different people have different needs.
Planning and preparing a delicious meal that meets the needs of my family and community.
Seeing the barriers to accessing nutritious and culturally appropriate foods that exist in and beyond my community and working with others to overcome them.
To have a healthy relationship with land and waters. That might look like:
Keeping the water, air and soil clean and healthy so that the plants and animals have a healthy home.
Caring for an urban farm by planting, tending to or harvesting foods using eco-friendly best practices.
Learning from local elders and Indigenous people about how we can build good relationships with the land and waters.
To have a healthy relationship with community, feel the power of community, know that people make our food, and celebrate food and culture. That might look like:
Caring for my community, which includes all people and other living things, and the spaces we learn and play in.
Knowing that while my individual actions are important, large-scale change requires large-scale solutions.
Understanding that the food system is powered by people and that many of these people face low wages and poor working conditions.
Exploring delicious foods that people eat in my own and other cultures and showing respect when trying new things.
Helping to pass these values down to future generations.
Get Involved
If you’d like to be a part of working toward these goals and vision with us, learn more about our Urban Agriculture program and find your place!