Youth getting mentored in agriculture through Sudbury Shared Harvest program

Five teenagers in Sudbury are learning how to grow their own food this summer — and how to turn it into a business. 

Sudbury Shared Harvest is running a new program called Youth Agricultural Mentors (YAM), for teens aged 15 to 18. 

The not-for-profit group works to cultivate community health through food projects and public education. It received a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to fund the summer program.

The teens will spend eight weeks at a garden at École secondaire Hanmer, and will get paid during that placement, through a YMCA job training program.

Kryslyn Mohan, the youth programs lead with Sudbury Shared Harvest, says students will be learning directly from farmers. She is hopeful the teens keep using their skills after the eight weeks are up. 

"If any of these youth really acquired a love for agriculture after the summer, then they can be invited to participate in opportunities to garden for homeowners in the fall and to be paid for their hours," Mohan said.

Once the teens have fresh produce to harvest they will set up a market to sell what they've gained.

The YAM program was originally supposed to start in 2020, but was delayed until this summer due to the pandemic. Organizers hope to grow the program in years ahead.

"It's so important to engage youth in growing our own food because they're basically our future," Mohan said. 

"Working with these high school aged youth actually is a really good opportunity to get them involved in caring for the planet at an even younger age so that they can become more responsible stewards of the earth and teach others the same practices."