Pilot project grows crops in Labrador to feed low-income families

It's harvest time across the province, and this year, for the first time, some low income families in Labrador will have access to fresh produce at their community freezer.

The Nunakatiget Inuit Corporation started a pilot project over the summer, planting crops at one of the local farms to help stock the community freezer.

It usually stocks only country food such as berries, fish, and wild game like partridge and moose.

This year, they're pulling up carrots, turnips, beets, and potatoes — and hoping for a bumper crop.

"I've never done this before, so I'm not sure what it's going to amount to in regard to total pounds," said corporation chair Gary Mitchell.  "If we can get 1,000 pounds of potatoes, I'd be happy with that.  That means everybody gets 10 or 15 pounds of potatoes each."

Most of the work happened earlier this year, when they spent weeks putting seeds in the ground.

Wet summer turned out to be a help

After that, there was weeding and care of the plants. 

"We were fortunate this summer, in regard to we didn't have to do any watering because it was such a wet summer that there was no cost to getting it watered," Mitchell laughs. 

Some of them might have small gardens at home, but this is the first time some of them will take home fresh produce.- Gary Mitchell

Maybe because of the weather, the greens didn't grow very well.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Food Security Network says people living here have the lowest rate of consumption of fruit and vegetables in the country, and rely heavily on produce grown outside the province. 

A hundred households

This freezer helps out about 100 Nunatsiavut households in the Upper Lake Melville area, and Mitchell thinks this will help them get more fresh food into their diet. 

"Some of them might have small gardens at home, but this is the first time some of them will take home fresh produce," he said.  

"I mean, you can always go to the store and get what you like, but a lot of our people on low income, unable to get out and do a little bit of farming on their own, or gardens. So this is going to be a plus for them, to have some fresh produce to take home, and assist them with a few more items for the table."

This is a first time harvest for the community freezer's coordinator, Kevin Blake, as well. 

"I love it," he said. "They really look forward to this.  They're probably on a tight budget. It will help them out big time.  Once I told them we were doing it, they couldn't wait."

Next year may be bigger

After the harvest is done, and the food is delivered, Mitchell says the group will take a look at the cost of the program, and how much they got out of it.

Then, they'll decide whether to go bigger next year. 

"It's something we need to promote here more in Lake Melville areas. It's an excellent place for growing crops, we have a good season, we have nice farms here," he said.

"There's a market out there, demand is out there, you go on the coast where they have to bring in vegetables from outside, I'm sure the farms here could supply the coast with vegetables if the business was right."