You can use your smart phone to browse stories in the comfort of your hand. Simply browse this site on your smart phone.

    Using an RSS Reader you can access most recent stories and other feeds posted on this network.

    SNetwork Recent Stories

Municipalities and Organizations Encouraged to Apply for Community Garden Support Program

HDownload Audio

by ahnationtalk on June 2, 2020519 Views


June 1, 2020

Funding applications for the 2020-21 Community Garden Support Program are still available to help eligible municipalities and community groups establish and enhance new and existing community gardens. To date, 48 applications have been approved for the upcoming season. There is no deadline to apply.

As part of the $2.25-million Provincial Agrifoods Assistance Program, the Provincial Government is investing $100,000 into the Community Garden Support Program. Last year the program funded 101 projects to help establish 23 new community gardens and enhance 78 existing community gardens.

More than 3,500 people participated in and benefited from the community gardens program last season including youth, seniors, and Indigenous groups. More details are available in the backgrounder below and online.

COVID-19 protocols for safe management of community gardens, including safe physical distancing and other measures, are also available below and online.

Quote

“I am excited to see so much interest in community gardening again this season, especially in the face of uncertainty as we deal with COVID-19. Community gardens are not only a great source of fresh, local food – they are peaceful places to unwind, enjoy time outdoors, and get back to nature at a time when we need it most. Community gardening will look a little different this summer as we find innovative ways to work together safely, but more than ever this year, our community gardens can offer that sense of togetherness we’ve all been missing. I encourage more municipalities and community groups to avail of this program this summer.”

Honourable Gerry Byrne
Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources

-30-

Learn more

2020-21 Community Gardens Support Program

Follow us on Twitter: @GovNL and @FLR_GovNL

Media contact
Linda Skinner
Fisheries and Land Resources
709-637-2284, 632-8167
lindaskinner@gov.nl.ca

BACKGROUNDER

Community Gardens Support Program

The Department of Fisheries and Land Resources is investing $100,000 annually to establish new community gardens and enhance existing community gardens throughout the province, providing up to a maximum of $500 per applicant in the form of a non-repayable grant. Communities will benefit from increased access to fresh, nutritious, locally grown foods.

This investment will enable not-for-profit organizations, community groups and schools to contribute to local food production and food security in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The objective of the Community Garden Support Program is to increase:

  • Food self-sufficiency
  • Access to fresh foods
  • Consumption of fruits and vegetables
  • Awareness and appreciation of the importance of local food production and the agriculture sector

Safe Practices in Community Gardens

Limit the number of people in the garden at any one time to accommodate for physical distancing (maintaining a distance of two metres or arm’s lengths from others).

  • Consider offering a schedule with a sign-up sheet to control the number of people in the garden at any one time.
  • Advise those who are ill or who are part of an at-risk population (e.g., the elderly, immunocompromised, etc.) that they should not visit the community garden.
  • Remind people how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as by staying home if you are sick, physical distancing, washing your hands, and covering coughs and sneezes.
  • If tools are shared, ensure tools are cleaned between uses
  • Do not allow people to share gardening gloves.
  • Encourage the use of non-medical masks by people in the garden. I frequent a Community Garden, how can I help slow the spread of the virus? There are a number of thing that can be done to help slow the spread of COVID-19, including:
    • Stay home if you are sick.
    • Maintain physical distancing when you are in the garden.
    • Use your own tools, where possible, rather than sharing tools that may be available.
    • Use your own gardening gloves and do not share them with anyone else.
    • Wear a non-medical mask, if available.
    • Practice proper hand hygiene by washing your hands or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol when entering and exiting the garden.

NT5

Send To Friend Email Print Story

Comments are closed.

NationTalk Partners & Sponsors Learn More