Westlock and area residents may get the opportunity to put their green thumbs to work this summer if a community garden project successfully launches.
Highway 2 Conservation representative Sheila Wooten said she’s currently in the process of negotiating for a piece of land within Westlock for the project, and is looking for volunteer board members to help form a non-profit society.
“If we get people focused more, even a little bit, on their own food production then that’s a big benefit,” she said.
Highway 2 Conservation is a partnership between the counties of Westlock, Barrhead, Athabasca and Sturgeon that focuses on promoting sustainable agriculture in the region.
“It’s a sustainable agriculture partnership,” Wooten said. “Local food falls into our jurisdiction, and community gardens increase the focus on local food.”
She was involved in helping launch the successful 70-plot community garden in Barrhead, which will be going into its third growing season this year — and she’s confident this could work in Westlock as well despite the tight time frame.
“I was working with a much shorter timeframe in Barrhead,” she said. “If everything goes tickety-boo, it will be this spring that we break ground.”
Wooten said there are several benefits that Westlock could see from the introduction of a community garden, in terms of health, education and even economic development in the region.
The health benefits of getting people outside growing their own vegetables is self-evident, and she said the education aspect can come by including local schools and child-care organizations in the garden.
“It’s not taught, but people involved in community gardens are seeing the importance of it,” Wooten said. “It’s really heartwarming, and there are also an abundant amount of grant opportunities because it gets kids to focus on nutrition and growing their own food.”
In terms of economic development, she said she hopes bringing attention to local food production could spur some development in the surrounding county in terms of market gardens and community-supported agriculture projects.
“I think a lot of producers don’t realize what a market there is for it with Edmonton’s proximity,” she said. “It’s a good opportunity for producers.”
Before the project can get off the ground — or into it, depending on your perspective — the key components will be getting the land secured and getting volunteers to sit on a board.
“Right now we don’t have that many people willing to sit on a board. I did send out an e-mail (through Westlock Interagency) but it’s not a good time of year to be asking that,” she said. “I’m probably going to re-approach that in January.”
Anyone looking for more information about the garden, or who is interested in volunteering, can contact Wooten at [email protected].
