Urban agriculture refers to growing food within an urban area, where no agricultural land formally exists. It includes community gardens, farmers markets, hobby beekeeping, keeping urban chickens, shared garden plots, growing fruit, berries and vegetables in your back yard and edible landscapes.
The City of North Vancouver encourages urban agriculture by supporting the following goals:
- Enhance the City's food security and reduce our ecological footprint by encouraging more locally grown foods
- Encourage increased social interaction in high density developments
- Support and encourage environmentally and socially sustainable activities
Food Security
The term 'food security' is often misunderstood. Food security refers to the ongoing availability of safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food. This is also important for our residents in the City of North Vancouver. There are a number of ways one can improve their access to nutritious food. The City works with groups such as the Table Matters Network, Vancouver Coastal Health, Metro Vancouver and the Edible Garden Project to increase secure access to food. Examples of programs include:
- Developing policies and long term plans: including food security issues in the Official Community Plan and endorsing the North Shore Food Charter
- Working with community partners to increase opportunities to grow food, whether in community gardens or in urban farms
- Look at developing programs and educating our residents about the importance of reducing and recovering food waste. Learn more on the Love Food Hate Waste website.
North Shore Food Map
The North Shore Food Assets Map lists grocery stores, community food providers, and organizations across the North Shore offering services and goods such as low-cost meals, subsidized groceries, community gardens and education, food assistance programs, school breakfast programs, grocery retail stores, and more. The map is part of an effort (North Shore Community Food Charter) to connect people with existing food resources in the community as well as highlight gaps in local food security. Additions will be made to the map as new sources become available over time.
The Food Map contributes to the implementation of the North Shore Community Food Charter, to which the City is a signatory, aiming to create a more integrated food system across this sub-region. The map was spearheaded by the local Table Matters Network with support from Vancouver Coastal Health and other Food Charter signatories. View the North Shore Food Assets Map.