Happy end of April to all of you!
April was Earth Month and Earth Day was celebrated on April 22. Given the state of our planet, shouldn’t every day be Earth Day? This is the beautiful blue planet that sustains us, and there are many efforts happening to keep it that way.
An inspiring get together on March 18 hosted by Drawdown Headwaters and HFFA at the Community Centre in Mono got nearly 100 people talking about Regenerative Agriculture, an approach to farming that is both new and old in concept. Involving no-till techniques and soil building approaches, a panel of farmers discussed how they approach agriculture in a way that captures carbon instead of releasing it as conventional agriculture does. Some call it "Carbon Farming". Our huge thanks to the participating farmers, speakers and everyone who participated in coordinating this event, as well as the farmers who donated food for the farmer social. Everyone left full and inspired.
Learn more about Regenerative Agriculture and its promise for reducing global warming here
.
Help Protect Farmland from Pit Operations
Headwaters up for the challenge
In honour of Earth Month and in support of local food, three local teams consisting of over 70 individuals participated in the
Drawdown Eco-Challenge
from April 3-24. The event involved actions for reversing global warming that everyone can do, many of which apply to the food system. Actions were grouped in tracks like Food and Land Use. You'll have the chance to participate in future Eco-Challenges expected in July and October.
Reducing Food Waste is the #3 Drawdown solution. For food that we don’t want to waste, but has passed the expiry date, you can consider diverting it to your local animal rescue or via
foodrescue.ca
, which is also connected to our four legged friends.
Long term eco-impact through a local food system
On April 9-10, HFFA once again had the most popular booth at the Agriculture Education Days hosted by the Orangeville Agricultural Society. This event is where grade 3 classes attend 8 stations set up in the arena, each teaching them something about agriculture. Such events are essential to building knowledge and appreciation for all that our farmers do. As well, it begins the building of a narrative that starts with local food and why it is so important for personal health and the health of our planet too. Each day was jam packed with 8 ten-minute sessions where HFFA team members demonstrated how we eat all parts of the plant, what ingredients are available locally, and how each part fits nicely into a wonderful concoction called the Plant Part Power Potion. Three cheers to Nicole Hambleton for being a leader for this event – the rest of us gasping to keep up. Free potion for all attendees with some kids being brave and leading others towards a yummy relationship with plants!
