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City’s Farm Stand Program

By July 30, 2024No Comments

The City of Calgary’s Farm Stand Program is back again to bring fresh fruits, vegetables and artisanal products, grown primarily in Alberta, to Calgary communities. Featuring over 30 farm stands supplied by nine local and regional farmers, this year’s program continues to demonstrate The City’s commitment to the local economy, regional farmers and food resiliency.

Supporting the CalgaryEATS! Food Action Plan, the Farm Stand Program looks to address critical issues of food access and resiliency, challenges faced by many cities including Calgary. By bringing more healthy food into communities and providing places for regional food producers to sell, the program is helping to build a more diverse and resilient local food system.

“We’ve had a great response from our community towards the Farm Stand Program,” says Rob Garnett, Centre Manager for Deer Run Community Association. “It’s a great benefit to have fresh food available within walking distance of home. It has gained quite a loyal customer base who appreciates the high-quality produce. We’re frequently asked why we can’t host it more days of the week!”

Due to rising fuel prices, labour shortages, political instability and the effects of climate change, many cities are facing food disruptions and volatile food prices. By supporting the Farm Stand Program, The City is taking steps to diversify our food sources, support our regional food producing farms, shorten supply chains and provide greater access to healthy food for Calgary communities.

When Calgarians visit a farm stand, they get to speak to the person growing their food, ask questions about the produce and get recommendations on recipes. From six stands in 2017 to over 30 in 2024, the program proves there is a big appetite in the city for fresh local food. In 2023, the program saw approximately 20,000 customers purchasing products from farm stands across the city between May to October.

“This program reflects our commitment to improving access to fresh, healthy and affordable food options for Calgarians, while also supporting local and regional farmers,” says Kristi Peters, Food Systems Planner, with The City of Calgary. “We are excited to continue to expand this program each year by adding more farm vendors and farm stand locations closer to home for Calgarians.”

Explore and support your community farm stands today to help contribute to better food resiliency tomorrow.

Visit calgary.ca/localfood for a list of farm stands near you.

Sean Chu

Sean Chu arrived in Calgary from Taiwan in 1985 speaking not a word of English, and within 7 years he was a sworn officer with the Calgary Police Service. From that point on Sean worked with the Calgary Police Service as on Officer for 21 years in a number of roles until 2013.

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