LifeCycles Urban Agriculture Hub: Connecting for a Food-Secure Community
“I truly believe Victoria and its surrounding communities can become Canada’s urban agriculture leaders due to our engaged and caring communities and our favourable climate. This Hub is one of the many tools which I hope will help create accessible food education, build on new and existing networks, highlight pocket community initiatives and promote increases in local healthy food production. Together we will build Victoria’s food security – Share what you know and watch our collective database grow!" – Chloe Dubois, Lead LifeCycles Volunteer
In my time working as a coordinator for LifeCycles Project Society, I have had the privilege of working with a diversity of passionate and giving people. I am constantly amazed at how many community members are willing to contribute their time, skills, and energy to our various projects. LifeCycles’ volunteers play many roles, including those of Urban Farmers, students, parents, professionals, and community builders, yet all of them make time in their busy schedules to share their knowledge. LifeCycles is one of various organizations in the CRD doing amazing work around food security and sustainability. Yet despite all knowledge and energy present in our community, food insecurity remains rampant. According to Victoria Foundation’s Vital Signs 2012, the cost of food has risen substantially in the past five years, while wages have failed to catch up. The report lists the living wage for Victoria at $18.02/hour, far above the provincial minimum wage of $10.25.
As a community-based organization, LifeCycles helps connect people to the information and resources they need to build food security and sustainability. It is our job to create links between the individuals, groups, businesses, and other organizations who are doing (or wish to do) great work in the community. Given all the energy and skills our community is willing to contribute, it is imperative to provide a space for groups and individuals to communicate, work together, and share knowledge around food security and sustainability.
Longtime LifeCycles’ team member Chloe Dubois recognized this need when she first came up with the idea for the Urban Agriculture Hub (UA Hub) in 2009. Chloe originally called the hub “Sprout Victoria”; a name with brings to mind a flourishing network of organizations and individuals. Now, thanks to support from the District of Saanich, the CRD, and the City of Victoria, we have just finished redeveloping the site to become the vibrant hub Chloe originally imagined.
LifeCycles’ Urban Agriculture Hub (UAHub) serves the role of connecting community members and groups with the knowledge and support necessary to take action in their communities. The new site provides information about growing food and creating habitat through fact-sheets, guides, and how-to videos on our Resource Page. Mason City Farm’s Angela Moran has joined the UAHub team and will periodically release video blogs about different aspects of urban agriculture. Forums with expert moderation provide opportunities for ongoing communication, mentorship and increased community connection. Through our Events Calendar and Directory, LifeCycles’ UAHub connects organizations and groups working on food security, and helps attract participants to their projects, events, and other activities. In this way, LifeCycles’ UAHub creates a network of organizations, groups, municipalities and individuals working on food security.
LifeCycles UAHub helps enhance coordination, avoid overlap, and make new connections within and across communities. The hub is a toolkit meant to empower and connect anyone concerned with building food security, sustainability, and social justice. Collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and communication will allow the work of individuals, groups, and businesses to have a greater and more meaningful impact in our community. Please take some time to check out LifeCycles Urban Agriculture Hub, and to use it as a toolkit for growing food and cultivating community.
Johanna McBurnie is a coordinator for LifeCycles Project Society. LifeCycles is a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating awareness and initiating action around food, health, and urban sustainability in the Greater Victoria community. They work proactively to promote and create personal, shared and community gardens, research, and educational activities and youth skills development programs. Through intergenerational partnerships we strengthen individual, community and global health. Click here for more information about LifeCycles other projects.