In the first half of this presentation the City of Surrey will explore how community gardens can be spaces that grow community, just as much as veggies. In 2019, the City of Surrey embarked on a partnership with Can You Dig It! to understand the gaps in community garden operations and how to build best practices that could help local community gardens thrive over time and be self-sustaining. Come and hear about our journey with these spaces and how we hope to grow community gardens and impact neighbourhoods for years to come. In the second half of this session, Urban Bounty will discuss the importance of building relationships for the successful rollout of a community garden program. We will speak of the evolution of how we went from the “wild west” to a system that has been successful and allowed growth each year since 2010. The Urban Agriculture team will highlight wins, site management issues, and ongoing challenges. Urban Bounty will also touch base on the future of accessible garden spaces and hopes to build a group that meets quarterly around a community of practice.
