It is ironic that in a city like Ottawa, which boasts about how much green space is available, we view any sort of agriculture as something that is to be done far away, or be seen in a museum. Yet as food prices skyrocket and communities struggle with food security, it seems only logical that the city should encourage the development of urban agriculture.
Whether this be the proliferation of small-scale backyard farming, cultivation of spaces that are unused and currently covered by grass: such as the large fields that surround many of the on and off ramps on the Queensway; encouraging the development of green roofs and other unused urban spaces for farming; or changing the laws surrounding chickens and other small farm livestock. The city is falling short of its substantial promise.
The same bylaws surrounding noise, clutter and safety that maintain order among the backyard woodworkers and tinkerers of the city could easily be applied to chickens. The city should immediately end its chicken ordinance and allow for limited residential ownership of chickens.
In the case of urban agriculture, the city’s tree-planting policy could shift towards ensuring a greater availability of nut- and fruit-bearing trees. Unused public land that currently requires mowing and other maintenance could be developed for agriculture, the proceeds of which could support low-income communities and food banks with locally grown, fresh produce. Even if those resources are accessible to the public, we can ensure low-cost, high nutrient-value food to people who may otherwise not be able to afford it. We spend the tax dollars on maintenance and planting anyways; why not at least get something we can use from it?
In tough times, we have seen the benefits of urban agriculture. It has provided sustenance to communities in times of need. We are quickly approaching a tipping point in affordability and food security and it is time for the City of Ottawa to go beyond community gardens or food banks and get creative in its food policy. In doing so we can ensure the people of Ottawa have access to affordable, nutritious food, whether that be food they are allowed to grow for themselves, or food grown in creative spaces that the city makes accessible.
Source: The Ottawa Citizen
Written by Beth Lawless: an entrepreneur, analyst and writer in Ottawa.
