Canada: Soaring grocery bills, food insecurity continue to boost gardening trend

Of the 51 per cent of Canadians who grew their own produce in 2020, nearly one in five started doing it in response to the pandemic, the report said.

By Michele Weisz
Newmarket Today
Apr 8, 2022

Excerpt:

A growing trend in organic gardening emerged during the pandemic, but a food shortage and high costs have seen it continue as many Canadians seek to offset the rising cost of store-bought produce.

In January 2022, the Consumer Price Index rose 5.1 per cent ?— the fastest pace since the index was introduced in 1999.

Canada’s Food Price Report, released in December 2021, predicts the average Canadian family will be paying an extra $966 for groceries in 2022. At seven per cent, it’s the highest jump ever predicted by the yearly report.

Of the 51 per cent of Canadians who grew their own produce in 2020, nearly one in five started doing it in response to the pandemic, the report said.

There are currently 150 people on the waiting list for a self-managed allotment garden in Newmarket that only has 106 plots available. Prior to the pandemic, there were 40 on the waiting list.

Demand was already high but during the pandemic “it skyrocketed,” said Jessica Tong, urban agriculture coordinator for the York Region Food Network (YRFN) community garden.

The desire to grow food has “increased dramatically” in the past two years, said Kate Greavette, executive director at YRFN, but it’s “not necessarily accessible to everyone.”

The money and effort put into producing food in a balcony garden may not be as economical as growing food on a larger plot of land.

Read the complete article here.