Culturally Relevant Crops Survey
We are launching a project entitled Culturally Relevant Crops for our Communities (CRCC), in which we will conduct surveys to gather recommendations from culturally diverse groups about which types of crops they would like to see local farmers growing in Victoria.
Culturally relevant/significant foods are those that tie us to ancestral foodways - which is a determinant of overall health - and help to maintain a sense of connection to our cultures, particularly for newcomers. IBPOC communities and other equity-deserving groups are disconnected from the land and waters they reside on by the constant engagement with ongoing systems of oppression and structural racism.
Looking forward into the 2023 season, we want to hear directly from our communities (IBPOC, seniors, low-income, people facing visible and hidden disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ communities, people with chronic illnesses, and anyone who self-identifies as having been historically oppressed) which crops they would like to see more of, which can be invaluable information to share with local farmers we’ve been working with, who are wanting to grow new crops to keep up with changing climatic conditions and to build a more inclusive local food system.
Sign up for our newsletter (at the bottom of this page) to stay up to date with the results from this initiative! Thank you for your time and energy to contributing to this project and shaping cultural local food in Victoria.
There are 4 main components to this project:
-
The Culturally Relevant Crops Survey (CRCS), utilized to collect information about desired crops
-
A Google Form, which can be filled out in exchange for a $20 cash honorarium and an entry in a draw for one of a few $50 gift certificates to the South Island Farm Hub online store
-
-
An in-person community conversation called The Ways We Eat: An Exploration of Culturally Relevant Foods in Lekwungen Territories
-
Music, food, arts-based methods of communication, and facilitated conversation around our ancestral foodways and the ways we are/aren’t connecting with them
-
This event will be in partnership with the Esquimalt Farmers Market
-
-
Attending in-person events with our community partners to outreach and engage diverse populations in the conversation
-
Knowledge dissemination - writing reports to be shared with various community stakeholders
Intention
This project is one component of the programming we have this year in order to strengthen our CSA model. We aim to support 2-3 local farms to grow produce boxes for equity-deserving community members. The CSCC project will provide critical information to:
-
Local growers as to what crops are desired and what could be added to the boxes to make them more impactful for our program participants,
-
City of Victoria’s Growing in the City! program when determining which crops to grow for residential gardens, community gardens & workshops,
-
Fernwood NRG’s Good Food Box program - to include more culturally significant foods.
-
Relevant governmental bodies and those working to influence local food policy, such as the Victoria Urban Food Table (UFT)
-
Local ethnic food markets, to learn about what fresh produce their customers are interested in seeing, and potentially making connections with local producers who are willing to grow those crops
Story Map
Another component for this project was collaborating with UVic Geography 380: Community Mapping students in order to expand the outreach of this Survey. With this, the 4 students: Sarah, Maya, Kaedin and Chris developed the Greater Victoria Cultural Food Community Map for this initiative which we are proud to share!