Mississauga agriculture strategy looks to help feed city’s population

Mississauga is developing an agricultural plan to give residents access to healthy, locally grown food.

Called the Urban Agriculture Strategy, the plan calls for a number of steps to be taken in the next 10 years that will enhance urban food growth opportunities that support culturally relevant options and adapts to climate conditions.

“Over the course of a year, almost 26,000 people visited a food bank in Mississauga. That’s nearly 1 in 28 people in our city who are experiencing challenges putting food on their table. This is a serious concern that will only grow as the cost of food continues to rise. All residents, especially our most vulnerable, have a right to access fresh and healthy food,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “Mississauga’s Urban Agricultural Strategy will allow us to diversify our local food sources, increase the resiliency of our food supply, and address food insecurity in our community – all steps that will break down barriers to equitable access to healthy and nutritious food.”

For more than 15 years, the City has supported a community garden program with a local not-for-profit organization, Ecosource – growing the number of gardens over the years and providing educational and gardening opportunities for Mississauga’s residents. Today, there are nine community gardens and one teaching garden and approximately 50 per cent of the food grown is donated to local food banks.

The gardens are located throughout the city on vacant lots and various green spaces and the food is distributed through a number of local agencies.