In Manitoba there are many alternative agriculture and food systems. Manitoba Alternative Food Research Alliance (MAFRA) is an organization that helps to fund food justice and food security projects in both rural and urban Manitoba. MAFRA partners with community groups in order to improve food security while also generating academic research that can be used to help further understand the impacts of alternative food systems.
The Winnipeg FoodShare Co-op is a conglomerate of neighbourhood organizations that combat food insecurity in socially vulnerable neighbourhoods in Winnipeg like the North End and West Broadway. It provides members with access to a vegetable CSA at an affordable price to ensure everyone has access to healthy foods.
The Harvest Moon Local Food Initiative (HMLFI) is a collective of farmers dedicated to sustainable and ethical farming practices. The HMLFI allows these farmers to bring their products to the Winnipeg market through a food-buying club that helps to create direct linkages and relationships between farmers and consumers. The program also provides participatory research about its program in order to help build a knowledge base about how to better create sustainable alternative food systems.
The St. Norbert Farmer’s Market is Winnipeg’s largest weekly farmer’s market located just south of the perimeter highway. The market acts as a cultural hub for the neighbourhood while also providing local food to many buyers from around the city.
Fort Whyte Farms is a CSA program inside Winnipeg that works with at-risk youth to help foster relationships with healthy food while also teaching them valuable skills. The CSA is then able to provide meat, honey and vegetables to its members that has been grown and raised sustainably.
These are only a few of the many alternative food networks that exist in Manitoba. It is clear from these examples that they serve many purposes within their contexts. If sustainability is desired, supporting these and the other alternative food systems in Manitoba should be made a priority. They do far more than provide food to people, they help to fight poverty, build healthy communities and preserve our environment. The government of Manitoba and consumers in the province should provide support for these and other networks in order to shift these food systems from the alternative to the norm.
The Winnipeg FoodShare Co-op is a conglomerate of neighbourhood organizations that combat food insecurity in socially vulnerable neighbourhoods in Winnipeg like the North End and West Broadway. It provides members with access to a vegetable CSA at an affordable price to ensure everyone has access to healthy foods.
The Harvest Moon Local Food Initiative (HMLFI) is a collective of farmers dedicated to sustainable and ethical farming practices. The HMLFI allows these farmers to bring their products to the Winnipeg market through a food-buying club that helps to create direct linkages and relationships between farmers and consumers. The program also provides participatory research about its program in order to help build a knowledge base about how to better create sustainable alternative food systems.
The St. Norbert Farmer’s Market is Winnipeg’s largest weekly farmer’s market located just south of the perimeter highway. The market acts as a cultural hub for the neighbourhood while also providing local food to many buyers from around the city.
Fort Whyte Farms is a CSA program inside Winnipeg that works with at-risk youth to help foster relationships with healthy food while also teaching them valuable skills. The CSA is then able to provide meat, honey and vegetables to its members that has been grown and raised sustainably.
These are only a few of the many alternative food networks that exist in Manitoba. It is clear from these examples that they serve many purposes within their contexts. If sustainability is desired, supporting these and the other alternative food systems in Manitoba should be made a priority. They do far more than provide food to people, they help to fight poverty, build healthy communities and preserve our environment. The government of Manitoba and consumers in the province should provide support for these and other networks in order to shift these food systems from the alternative to the norm.