Neighbourhood Food Networks

ACTION, EDUCATION, PLANNING, COLLABORATING and HAVING FUN -- HOW DO WE TRANSITION TO A SUSTAINABLE, RESILIENT and JUST FOOD SYSTEM?

This page includes an overview of VV`s Neighbourhood Food Networks, specific interest food groups (bees, chickens, community gardening, seed saving, etc., and our other food related activities. For additional Food and food related groups, please visit Projects (Demo Village, FED-AP (Food Energy Descent Action Plan), Permaculture Design, etc.) and Zero Waste.

Other pages with food related content include: Food Forum, Events (all), Food Events/Workshops, Gardening Events/Workshops, Workshops, Potlucks, Blogs, and Neighbourhood Villages.

For activities, please visit VV's events page. 

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 VV Network of Neighbourhood Food Networks (VVNFN's) VVers are active in every neighbourhood in Vancouver and elsewhere, and virtually every member of Village Vancouver has some interest around food. Among other things, VV functions as one big network of neighbourhood food networks, with each village and neighbourhood constituting a more localized network within the larger body - and  thousands of people have participated in organized VV food networking related activities in over most neighbourhoods in Vancouver, and in Bowen Island, Burnaby, Coquitlam, New Westminster, Port Coquitlam, and Surrey. The Network helps us identify our interests, engages in community food resiliency planning and asset mapping, and helps start new communities of interest, and new NFN's, both within and outside of VV.

There are currently several neighbourhood Villages/Food Networks with VV food activities or one sort or another in most neighbourhoods in Vancouver, including Cedar Cottage, Douglas Park, Dunbar, Fairview, False Creek,  Grandview Woodland, Hastings Sunrise, Kitsilano, Main Street (encompassing Riley Park, Mt. Pleasant and South Cambie),  Marpole, Oakridge, Strathcona, South Vancouver (Sunset, Victoria, etc.), UBC, West End, Yaletown, etc.  

Our Network of Networks also includes several communities of interest including beekeeping, backyeard chickens, gardening,  Permaculture, seed savers, etc.

Networking, collaborating, dialoging, and growing, sharing, and celebrating - coming together around food in all ways possible in neighbourhoods and neighbourhood transition villages. Strengthening our local food webs, networks, and urban agriculture initiatives through collaboration, respect, and mutual support. Working towards food resiliency and sustainability on a very local level, and then working with other neighbourhood transition villages and initiatives and other neighbourhood food networks to do the same on a city and bioregional level. Join Village Vancouver, and then join the Neighbourhood Food Network on this page.

We're doing some people focused asset mapping around food and food resiliency in each neighbourhood, so we encourage you to indicate (on your personal page) your interests around food, and what skills and resources around food you can offer in your community. (For example, "can offer gardening space" or "have a fruit tree, can offer or swap fruit" or "have a truck, can haul straw." You can also indicate things you would like to learn or would like to have access to, etc. (For example, "looking for gardening space" or "would like to learn how to prune" or "would like to join a dinner co-op" or ???) We would like to build an identifiable and easy to use asset base of Villagers' interests, skills, resources, needs, etc. around food and food resiliency in each neighbourhood and village.

We offer resources for individuals, neighbourhoods, and emerging and existing neighbourhood villages. Want to start or join a Seed Saving Collective? Coop Co-op? Meet other Beekeepers, or others in your neighbourhood with interests around food and sustainability? Or other urban market gardeners/farmers or urban homesteaders? Contact Ross at ross@villagevancouver.ca or join the appropriate network.
 
  
EDUCATION WHICH LEADS TO ACTION

"Reskilling" School Urban Agriculture workshops - We've held over 1,000 workshops in the last 10 years, with over 10,000 people attending - Gardening, Backyard Chickens, Seed Saving, Preserving, Composting, Outdoor Classrooms, Neighbourhood Food Networking and more. Our workshops are community based gatherings which help participants connect with others who share a desire to engage around food and sustainability on a neighbourhood level. Current and past presenters include Robin Wheeler, Grant Watson, Philip Be'er, Jordan Maynard, Heather Havens, Spring Gillard, Janet Millington, and Ross Moster.

The workshops are part of an ongoing series designed to help individuals, neighbourhoods, and communties learn how to live well while reducing our carbon footprints and using substantially less fossil fuels.
 
 
  PLANNING

Food Energy Descent Action Plan (Community Resiliency Plan) (FED-AP) In partnership with the Vancouver Food Policy Council

What would a sustainable and resilient food system look like?

Imagine a food system that used 90% less fossil fuels. What would it look like? How would we "get there"?

COLLABORATION: VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOOD FOOD NETWORKS

We collaborate with many groups on matters relating to food and community well-being, including several other Neighbourhood Food Networks such as Cedar Cottage Food Network, Downtown Eastside Right to Food Network, Grandview Woodland Food Connection, Hastings-Sunrise Community Food Network, Little Mtn.-Riley Park Neighbourhood Food Network, Marpole-Oakridge Neighbourhood Food Network (sponsored by VV), Mt. Pleasant Neighbourhood Food Network, Renfrew-Collingwood Food Security Institute, South Vancouver Neighbourhood Food Network, Strathcona Food Security Program, West End Neighbourhood Food Network, and the Westside Food Collaborative.