Urban farmers stake claim on parkade rooftop

Organizers Seann Dory (left) and Bryce Gauthier will help plant seeds at 211 East Georgia St. Photograph by Dan Toulgoet, Vancouver Courier

Farm will produce fruit, vegetables

By Sandra Thomas
Vancouver Courier
April 28, 2010

Excerpt:

The city’s first rooftop urban farm atop a parkade on East Georgia Street could become a model for similar projects across Vancouver, says Seann Dory, manager of sustainability for United We Can.

“This will be a fully functioning farm that will create and support a social enterprise and increase job creation,” Dory said.

The farm, slated to start May 8 when volunteers will gather on the roof at 211 East Georgia St. for a “farm raising,” is the second phase of a project called SOLEfood, which began last year with a farm garden on an empty parking lot at the corner of Hawks Avenue and East Hasting Street next to the Astoria Hotel. With their rooftop location, the organizers behind SOLEfood II hope literally to take the urban farm concept to a new level.

The original SOLEfood project grows enough food to supply produce to Downtown Eastside residents and inner city agencies like the Potluck Café and numerous community kitchens. Fresh fruits and vegetables grown through the rooftop farm will be sold to high-end restaurants in the neighbourhood and at farmers markets. The profits will pay the part-time wages of up to 25 urban farmers by the end of this year. Workers at SOLEfood are residents of the Downtown Eastside. Future employees at the rooftop farm will also come from the area.

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