The Common Roots Urban Farm in Halifax has to find a new place to grow in 2019.
Staff and volunteers say they always knew they might lose their two acres of land to the expansion of the Halifax infirmary.
Community gardener Marwan Iskander says when he first arrived from Jordan that he just wanted to do a little gardening at the farm, but it turned into so much more.
“Then I discovered that there’s more to it,” Iskander says. “There’s so much beauty, a lot of people around, you make friendships, you get to work with different ethnic groups.”
The community farm is about to enter its seventh growing season, but the Halifax Infirmary now needs the land.
Farm staff says the farm will have to pack up and leave in the fall, but they’re on the search for a new site.
Project coordinator Jayme Melrose says there’s qualities they're looking for in a new gardening spot.
“It’s got to be sunny, it’s got to have access to water and access to electricity so they public will confirm this, but I think it has to be on a bus route.”
Years of hard work and thousands of dollars have gone into creating the farm, but they're going to try to take as much of it away with them as they can. Melrose says the garden has played several roles in the last few years.
“There’s a community garden and in the middle, there's a market garden, and then there's common, so edible landscaping that everyone can pick from,” Melrose says.
Melrose says the farm has made the experience of gardening available to everyone in the community.
“The community garden plots… there's a 195, some of them are available to folks who are blind, or in wheelchairs.”
The garden has provided fresh produce for local food banks and immigrants from around the world have participated. Nearly 1,000 people have been involved in the project.
The staff says wherever the new location will be it will be shared with anyone who shares a desire to grow.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ron Shaw.
